One Thousand and One
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: Moving in together was just another step on a very long journey. There's still a lot of milestones and hard times ahead but, as long as they're together, Anna and Elsa are bound and determined to make things work. [Sequel to The Kingdom][Elsanna, no incest] [4 of 4]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything. I am _so_ sorry this has taken so long but it's finally here, the fourth and final installment in the _Scheherazade_ series. If you haven't read the previous three, you're going to be lost in the sauce on this one. Much like _The Kingdom_ , this will be a multi-chapter event. Updates will be aimed at daily but, given my hectic schedule this week, I will admit to being a bit more irregular than usual in posting the chapters. Considerably longer overall- though the chapter lengths themselves are a bit uneven- but it should wrap up all the big events that remain in this universe (and a bunch of little ones because these two _would not stop_ ). Hope y'all enjoy. Also, smut towards the end, you'll see it coming. *blink* Pun _not_ intended for once.

* * *

Their first week living together was just like Spring Break.

The second week? Not so much.

" _Shit_ , where's my tie?" Anna growled, struggling to get her hair into a bun. "Crap, I'm going to be late."

Adjustments had to be made. Namely, the redhead needed to find some motivation to pry herself away from her girlfriend and get out of bed _before_ the last possible minute.

"Stupid hair-"

"Breathe in, Sunshine." Elsa appeared just behind her, setting her hands on Anna's shoulders and encouraging her to lower her arms. "And breathe out."

"But, I'm going to be late. Again." The redhead pouted, noting this would be the third shift in a week she'd be arriving late, not that her boss was overly concerned with her tardiness. He hadn't addressed it yet, at least, but she wasn't _trying_ to be late and it was something of a point of pride for her not to be.

"You'll be fine," her girlfriend said, making quick work of her bun. "You're stressing yourself out."

"Because I'm running late."

"No you're not." Elsa moved around her, producing the elusive tie and throwing it around Anna's neck, tying the knot swiftly. "Look at the clock, Sunshine."

Anna groaned but did as she was told, catching sight of the wall clock they'd picked out next to Elsa's old one, which was set to The Netherlands' timezone. She blinked a few times. "Wait... your alarm isn't supposed to go off for another fifteen minutes."

She was highly aware of what time Elsa's alarm went off because it was part of the reason why she was only ten to fifteen minutes late as opposed to half an hour or more. While the redhead's alarms were set earlier than her girlfriend's, she'd always end up talking herself into staying in bed just a few more minutes. Elsa's alarm prompted her to actually get ready for work.

"I changed it last night so you wouldn't be late this morning," the blonde replied, sounding far too amused with the circumstances as she tightened the knot at Anna's neck. "There."

"That means you woke up early." Anna slid her arms around her girlfriend, drawing her into a soft, apologetic kiss. "I'm sorry, Snowflake; I didn't mean to-"

"Shush." Elsa pecked as kiss to her lips again, smoothing out her collar. "It was my decision. Also, we go to bed together; why shouldn't we wake up together?"

"I... have no good argument against that." She ducked her head, a small smile playing at her lips. "Still, you're not usually up this early."

"That's a small adjustment to make, love. Besides, it's hardly worth staying in bed when you aren't there."

"You're way too good for me, Snowflake." Anna laughed, nuzzling into the blonde's neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sunshine." Elsa held her close for a few more seconds before gently nudging them apart. "But you should probably continue getting ready."

"I don't know... I think I might require assistance."

Elsa laughed, a sly smirk sliding into place as she cocked her head to the side. "I'm afraid I've reached my assistance limit for now... but I'll be more than willing to help when you get home tonight."

There was just enough playfulness and sultry suggestion in her tone to bring a flaming blush to Anna's cheeks, her mouth falling open as she struggled to form a coherent response. And failed. Bad.

Elsa tapped a kiss to her cheek and walked off. "See you after work, Sunshine."

The redhead watched her go, lips curling into a fond smile despite her shock. This woman was probably going to be the death of her... but at least it would be a pleasant end.

* * *

There was a weird sort of nostalgia invading her system as they pulled into the parking lot of her old apartment. It was pretty much like going back home to visit her parents, except less teasing... wait, no, it was _exactly_ like visiting her parents, but with more vulgarity.

"Is something wrong?" Elsa reached over, taking Anna's hand in hers.

"Just nervous. Silly, huh?" She shrugged, chuckling. "You would think this would be easy after everything else we've been through."

"Sunshine, look at me." Anna looked, momentarily struck at how beautiful Elsa was when she smiled, wearing her jean jacket and necklace, before she could focus on what her girlfriend was saying. "Nothing is ever easy, especially in our lives. But no matter how hard things get, I will _always_ be right here with you, some way, some how."

The redhead pulled Elsa into a kiss, warmth flooding her chest.

"Come on. I'm curious about this Sven person. You've never really talked about him before."

"You'll understand why when you meet him." Anna explained, exiting the Jetta and quickly falling in step beside her girlfriend. "He's... just... he's Sven."

"Is he going to give me as much grief as Eugene?" Elsa raised a brow as they approached the door, sounds of some sort of ruckus barely muffled by the wood.

"No, but he won't be as compliant in your schemes as Kristoff. I'll make sure of that." Anna opened the door and walked in out of habit, immediately greeted by a chorus of voices all shouting some sort of acknowledgment. They greeted Elsa the same as the blonde closed the door behind them. "Hey guys! Where's Sven?"

Her question was met with utter silence.

Uh oh.

"Elsa, don't freak out."

"Why would I- what!" The blonde's eyes grew wide as an arm wrapped around her waist, its twin encircling Anna at the same time as they were hoisted into the air. "What's going on?"

"Hi, Sven!" Anna ducked her head, reaching out to force Elsa to mimic the motion before she could hit her own on the ceiling as they were neatly settled on Sven's shoulders. "How've you been?"

He smiled at her, eyes the same color as his chocolate brown hair absolutely lighting up.

"Oh, so this is Sven?" Elsa raised a brow, noting the young man didn't really look at her but nodded, as if to acknowledge her statememt. Her eyes flicked to Anna and the redhead gave her an encouraging smile. "Uh... hi?"

The brunette nodded again, lifting the shoulder Elsa was perched on slightly. He still couldn't look at her though, or speak, and Anna was watching the exchange carefully.

"Are you a little shy?" The blonde ventured, receiving an enthusiastic nod in reply. Her expression softened, one hand gently patting his shoulder by her thigh. "That's okay. Any friend of Anna's is a friend of mine, so I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If I do, just let one of us know, okay?"

Sven instantly turned his head to Anna, positively beaming before he set off to find Kristoff.

She could do little other than sigh. "The good news is: he likes you."

Elsa winced. "What's the _bad_ news?"

"I think he likes you a little _too_ much." She shot the man a wry smirk, which earned her a sheepish grin in response. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

After waving a quick hello to the friends congregated around the TV, Sven deposited both of them in the kitchen, where a slightly harried Kristoff was diligently slaving away over... a pot of water.

Culinary skills were still not his forte.

"Hey there, Feisty Pants." He gave them a smile, pulling both women into a hug. Honestly, he looked a bit ridiculous in Anna's old apron, but just as supportive as ever. "How are my two favorite ladies feeling today?"

"Just a tad nervous." The redhead shrugged, biting her lip and glancing behind her and into the living room.

Almost instantly, one of Elsa's arms wrapped around her waist, a solid and steady presence supporting her. "In love."

She swung her gaze around to find the blonde gazing at her adoringly, smiling and accepting a chaste kiss before returning her attention to her best friend. "I think I'd like to just get it over with now."

"Are you sure?" Kristoff frowned briefly but shrugged, adjusting the heat lower on the stove and untying the apron. "I mean, it's your call. I just... don't want you to rush."

Leave it to Kristoff to look out for her, but Anna truly was tired of feeling like she couldn't be completely honest with her friends. Elsa had already tried disuading her earlier in the week, to no avail. She _wanted_ to do this, to step out of the little bit of shadow she'd lived in for far too long, whatever the consequences may be.

"Come on, let's get this over with." She smiled, pulling Elsa with her as they went into the living room. She could hear Sven and Kristoff following closely. "Hey, guys? Mind if I say something real quick?"

The TV was muted so everyone could turn to look at her, nerves rising only briefly before Elsa squeezed her hand lightly, a gesture of reassurance. Just as she took a deep breath, she was cut off.

"Wait, wait! Let me guess." Eugene jumped up onto the back of the couch, stroking his bearded chin thoughtfully. "You're pregnant."

"Not this again." Aladdin groused, rolling his eyes much like the rest of the group awaiting Anna's announcement.

Eugene had a theory about playing any guessing game, one he'd explained back when they were all freshmen, and it was uncannily accurate. Remembering the general line of his questioning he used, Anna decided to play along.

"That's not it."

"You're... getting married."

"Not yet." Anna giggled, feeling the hand in hers twitch slightly and a shy smile claim Elsa's lips.

"You really do have a Nigerian prince for a cousin?"

"And that's strike three." The redhead raised a brow, baiting Eugene as best she could.

In true Fitzherbert fashion, he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "Then, clearly, you have a penis."

"Correct." She nodded, waiting a moment for realization to set in and keeping her smile in place. She could feel the tension slowly building in Elsa, ready to lash out at anyone who dared react badly.

Eugene was, of course, the first to voice his opinion. "Yes! I told you it works, _every time_!"

Everyone laughed at his little victory dance, Rapunzel taking a turn at teasing her boyfriend.

"Hey, are you two still together?" She gestured between Elsa and Anna, winking rather seductively. "Ya know, exclusive?"

"What?" Eugene quickly leveled a disbelieving stare at his girlfriend.

Sensing an opportunity to heckle her rival, Elsa favored Rapunzel with a smirk. "Well, I _am_ the sharing type."

"Oh, _hell_ no," Eugene said, hopping off the back of the couch and reaching for his zipper. "My manhood is being called into question and I'll not stand for this!" He looked at Anna. "Drop 'em, Feisty Pa-" He stopped, then laughed. "Oh my god, _I finally get the joke_!"

Kristoff spoke up. "For the record, the nickname has _nothing to do with-_ "

"Details, deatils; don't care, let's go Anna!"

"Is this absolutely necessary?" Elsa prepared to step in, lips drawing into a tight frown.

But Anna wasn't really paying attention to Eugene or his ridiculous requests; she was watching the rest of her friends, most of whom seemed confused. Finally, Aladdin spoke up.

"So... was that the big thing we were going to talk about?" Anna nodded. "Oh. Okay, cool."

"No one's upset?" Anna raised a brow, a smile already tugging at her lips.

Everyone pretty much just shrugged as Rapunzel laughed. "I'm pretty sure the only person who has any right to care is standing next to you."

Smiling, the redhead turned her head in time to accept a quick kiss from her girlfriend. After spending so much of her life hiding part of herself from those closest to her, it was _amazing_ to be herself entirely.

"Hey, still serious about measuring the trouser snakes over here." Eugene piped up, waving off his girlfriend's disapproval. "This is an important part of being a ma- of being someone with a penis. If she'd grown up people _not_ being dickheads- which is why I'm assuming you've kept us in the dark for so long- then this would've been, like, every day of high school."

Rapunzel scrunched her nose. "We're definitely not moving back to _your_ hometown."

Anna squeezed Elsa's hand lightly, smiling when the blonde stopped glaring at Eugene and instead looked at her.

"It's okay, Snowflake." She leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. The blonde shot the man in question a softer glare that promised retribution if something went wrong before reluctantly agreeing.

Somehow, this wasn't nearly as terrifying as the prospect of telling everyone; it was almost frustratingly normal, in fact. Eugene probably would've done this upon first meeting her had he known back then. The redhead idly wondered how different things might've been for her had she revealed the truth sooner but tossed the thoughts aside as she followed Kristoff- the self proclaimed judge- into the back bedroom with Eugene talking smack right behind her.

She could wonder all day but, in reality, there was nothing she'd want to change about any of this, so why bother thinking about those scenarios? Anna would rather get this little contest out of the way so she could help Kristoff with dinner and get back to the apartment for cuddles with Elsa.

Cuddles with Elsa made every day better.

* * *

Barely fifteen minutes later, the back bedroom door opened as Kristoff exited the room, trying hard to maintain his composure. Anna followed him out, quickly flitting into the kitchen and donning her old apron. She shot a smile towards the living room, where Elsa was talking to Rapunzel and watching the redhead intently, before collecting up seasonings and spices from the pantry and some shrimp from the freezer, setting the ingredients beside the unopened spaghetti packet.

A little bit of seafood to go with the pasta sounded lovely.

A few minutes later, Eugene trudged out of the back room, utter shock written across his features as he drug himself to stand in front of Elsa. They stared at each other for a few minutes before the dam broke.

"YOU! ARE! A! LESBIAN!" Eugene practically shouted, throwing his arm at every word to accentuate his point. Afterwards he turned and slumped to the floor, grumbling to himself. "I give up, the world makes no sense, I'm done."

At that point, Kristoff lost his tenuous grip on himself, falling to the floor and laughing so hard he was crying. Taking his cue, everyone else started chuckling until Elsa squared her shoulders, turning towards Rapunzel with an extremely serious face.

"I hope you realize I was being insincere earlier." She narrowed her eyes. "I am _not_ the sharing type."

Anna's hand flew to her mouth to stifle her laughter as Rapunzel waved off the blonde's comment. "That's absolutely fine. I'm quite content with my _wittle willie_ anyway."

Eugene's pout intensified about ten-fold as he twisted around to stick his tongue out at his girlfriend.

"Very mature." Elsa looked at her, silently asking if everything was okay. The redhead smiled shyly and nodded before turning back to the stove.

"You must be made of rubber; that's the only explanation." The moment Eugene's voice hit her ears, Anna tensed, wholly prepared to beat the man unconscious if he kept going. Rapunzel was already trying to get him to stop but, as usual, he wasn't about to pass up a chance to needle her girlfriend, despite their 'rivalry' being over some time ago. "Seriously, your girl's wang puts horses to shame!"

Not only was that a ridiculous exaggeration but _Eugene really needed to shut up, did he have any idea what he was-_

"The fact you can still walk is beyond me."

"That's enough, Eugene." Rapunzel's voice was firm, talking over the constant protests from her boyfriend as she led him away, likely by the ear.

Anna was a bit too scared to check. Since returning from The Netherlands, they really hadn't addressed the looming issue of their sex life; most of their time was spent just... _being_ with each other and existing and loving each other. The redhead was certain Elsa would bring it up once she felt ready and that was completely okay.

But Eugene's stupid little comments might've set them back on that scale... if they were even making any progress to begin with. She wasn't even that big! Kristoff- and a bit more research than was healthy- assured that she was about average. It wasn't _her_ fault that she happened to have a bit more girth than her friend.

Seriously, it wasn't even that much of a difference. So _why_ he felt like making it a bigger deal was a good idea was beyond her. She might have to knock him over the head with a frying pan later; Rapunzel assured her it was the best way to get something through his dense skull.

Anna frowned at the barely boiling pot of water in front of her, hands on the counter on either side of the small stove.

She needed to find some way to make it up to Elsa. Granted, she couldn't really control Eugene's behavior, but he was her friend and his comments probably made the blonde feel even more nervous on an already touchy subject. A bottle of wine, some chocolates, and... oh, a movie, right, there was that video game themed movie that just came out not to long ago.

Suddenly, arms slipped around her waist as a familiar frame pressed against her back, lips lightly skimming the skin just behind her ear. Her whole body reacted as a delicious shiver rocked her spine, leaning back in her beloved's embrace.

"Don't let him get to you, Sunshine." Elsa whispered, one hand slipping lower to gently brush against the front of her pants. "He's not getting to me. When the time is right, we'll make it work."

She felt a smile spread across her lips, turning to press a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. "You know he's exaggerating, right? Like, by a lot."

"It doesn't matter if he is or not." The blonde coaxed her into turning around, so they could kiss and look at each other properly. "I know for a fact that I'm the luckiest person in this apartment, and I'm not giving you up because of a little scare tactic from a sore loser."

Anna chuckled, drawing Elsa into another kiss that lasted a little longer than was entirely polite, given the group of people gathered in the next room. She was going to end it, honest...

... in a moment. Because she revelled in moments like there where it just knocked her over the head how amazingly lucky she was to have met her wonderful girlfriend and how determined she was to make everything work.

Someone clearing their throat pulled both women from their embrace, blinking owlishly at the entrance of the kitchen, where Sven and Kristoff were standing and grinning at them.

The blond nodded towards his quiet friend. "Sven says he doesn't like 'secret sauce' in his pasta."

Both of them ducked out of the room while Anna groaned, blushing profusely. "Is this what our friendship has come down to, guys? An ongoing parade of penis jokes?"

"Yeah!" Several voices answered, prompting the redhead to shake her head.

Elsa laughed, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. "You can't really blame them, Sunshine. There's apparently _a lot_ to joke about."

"Not you too!" She playfully whined and turned back to the pot, pleased when her girlfriend slid up beside her and started helping get the sauce ready. "Sometimes, Snowflake, you make me wonder."

"Oh? About what?"

She snuck another quick peck to the blonde's cheek and laughed. "About what I did so right."

They worked side-by-side to prepare enough food for the rambunctious lot in the living room, accepting Eugene's apology when he was forcibly escorted into the kitchen by his girlfriend. Rapunzel kept him in line for the remainder of the night, though she did ease up after dinner, stepping out with Elsa for some fresh air while Anna played Mario Kart with Eugene, Kristoff, and Vanessa.

"You know I was just messing with you earlier, right?" Eugene had waited until the door was closed before speaking, glancing at Anna briefly. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know. I don't exactly _appreciate_ it but I get it," she replied, grinning slightly as Kristoff groaned, knocked off the track by a red turtle shell. "It's fine."

"Hey." He turned away from the TV, prompting Anna to give him her undivided attention. For the first time in memory, Eugene Fitzherbert actually looked genuinely contrite. "I mean it, Anna. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset either of you."

The redhead smiled. "And I mean it when I say it's okay, Eugene. Really."

They returned to the game, playing a while before Vanessa broke the silence.

"So... was I the only one who knew?" She cringed, probably realizing that not all of Anna's friends were as forgiving and some of them still held a bit of a grudge, hence why the redhead insisted on including her during these get-togethers.

"Kristoff did." Anna shrugged, rolling her eyes at Eugene's indignant scoff.

"You told _him_ before _me_?"

"She's known me since we were in the eighth grade."

"Excuses!"

Anna chuckled, allowing the ridiculous argument to continue as she crossed the finish line. As the next race started, conversation turned to the start of the school year and signing up for classes, groaning over requirements and some congratulations over Anna's decision to change her major. Eugene immediately started complaining that the redhead had an unfair advantage- seeing as she was going into many of the same classes Elsa took- while Kristoff pointed out that the other man had paid more than one person to help him through his classes and that Anna was just doing it the smart way and getting help for free.

By the time Elsa and Rapunzel returned to the apartment, Eugene and Kristoff were wrestling in the corner while Sven, Anna, Aladdin, and Vanessa continued playing Mario Kart.

They, wisely, chose not to ask any questions.

* * *

By all accounts, it was just like any other night at the apartment, early enough in the semester that Anna wasn't bogged down by homework and both of them had the night off from work, which of course meant curling up on the couch and watching a movie. The only difference being that, instead of allowing herself to become engrossed in the story unfolding before her or bantering back and forth with her girlfriend, Anna was lost in her own thoughts.

After a whole summer of living together, one might think that the redhead had acclimated rather well to the change. She'd always prided herself on being a reasonable housemate and, given how well she understood the blonde currently pressed against her back, they'd managed to avoid a lot of silly fights over little things, like chores and the placement of certain items. The little stuff that newly minted couples living together argued about. Sure, the remote got misplaced from time to time, but no one was perfect. If anything, each passing day just fanned the warmth that spread through Anna's chest every time she woke up beside the blonde or crawled into bed with her, not because she was staying the night but because _this_ was her home. It was absolutely satisfying.

Er... well, for the most part.

Elsa chuckled at something that happened in the movie, prompting Anna to squeeze the hand clasped in hers and smile.

While the redhead had acknowledged long ago that moving in with Elsa might provide certain... distractions, she'd never really considered it could be a problem. And, really, it wasn't! Anna didn't mind that they weren't as physically intimate as most other couples; she never felt a lack of affection for or from her girlfriend, as they traded kisses as often as possible, held hands when they could, hugged, either one initiating the contact and the other readily accepting it. There also wasn't a lack of intimacy, per say, seeing as they were honest with each other regarding their insecurities and so very supportive, healing old wounds and becoming stronger for it. So, just like she'd told Elsa many times, she wasn't bothered by the lack of _physical_ intimacy...

But, oh, all the deities in all the realms, did she _want_.

It was probably in part because they were so comfortable around each other, Elsa likely wasn't aware that she was the universe's biggest tease. Nearly every other day, the redhead would _accidentally_ catch a peek as the blonde got changed or toweled off after a shower- a shapely thigh, the soft swell of a breast, the smooth expanse of her back.

Every time she caught a glimpse, it made her wonder and want. Could she really be blamed for that? Elsa was beautiful, absolutely stunning, there was no harm in admitting it. It was true! At the same time, it was Elsa's personality, who she was at heart, that Anna prized and adored above all else, so the more she thought about what it would feel like to run her hands along the inside of Elsa's thighs, the guiltier she felt. Which, inevitably, would remind her how horrible she'd unintentionally make the blonde feel if Elsa ever caught on to her inability to keep her mind out of her gutter.

Really, the whole thing was silly, and she'd considered confessing to Elsa exactly why she kept accidentally bumping into things in the mornings or evenings and taking longer showers than absolutely necessary. However, after their last talk on the subject, she didn't want to put any pressure on the blonde whatsoever. Just because she couldn't seem to rein in her libido didn't mean she should upset her girlfriend.

Which lead her to this moment, where she was hyper aware of every minute movement but completely oblivious to the TV.

"I'm not sure if I like the ending," Elsa said, pulling the redhead from her thoughts. "It seemed a bit... contrived, I suppose is the best word for it."

Anna blinked, watching the credits scroll while racking her brain for the genre of movie they'd just watched, much less the title. Geez, she must've really checked out this time.

Elsa pressed a kiss just behind her ear. "Something's been on your mind. You usually at least _try_ to talk me out of a Schwarzenegger film before I put it on."

Oh, right. They were watching _The Sixth Day_. "You indulge me whenever I put on _Bewitched_. Besides, it's not like I don't like _all_ his movies; it's just the ones that completely breeze over the 'love interest' but somehow tie their relationship into the plot. If you're going to use romance as a sub plot, then at least treat it with some level of sincerity, ya know?"

The blonde started kissing her behind her ear again, obviously amused. "Are you about to go on your _True Lies_ rant again?"

Anna hummed, eyes sliding shut as soft lips found their way around the shell of her ear and down her neck. "That depends. Which answer keeps this going?"

Light laughter rang out before the redhead found herself flat on her back, Elsa on top of her. When their lips met, Anna felt the familiar heat spreading through her, always burning just beneath the surface and fanned hotter with every touch. She couldn't help moaning as Elsa licked along her bottom lip, the action parting her lips and granting the blonde access. As the kiss deepened, tongues sliding against each other in an eager dance, Anna admitted to herself that it wouldn't take long for her to reach the point where she'd beg off and scurry away for a shower.

"Snowflake, slow down." Anna gasped out as they parted, both in desperate need of oxygen. Elsa must've missed the request, focusing on peppering kisses along her jaw and down her neck instead. The blonde's hands were busy slipping under her shirt, fingertips trailing lightly along Anna's sides. In another time or place, Anna would be fighting to contain her laughter, succumbing to the horrors of being ticklish. At the moment, all the redhead could think was how delicious it would feel if Elsa used her nails a bit, or her teeth- marked her in some way.

Considering her work uniform, it wouldn't be a problem, and she'd always liked the idea of looking in the mirror and seeing a hickey adorning her skin. As if reading her mind- or perhaps taking the unconscious tilting of Anna's head as a sign to continue- Elsa obliged that fantasy, scraping her teeth across the redhead's freckled skin and eliciting a groan of approval.

She wasn't going to last much longer. If Anna didn't take control of the situation, something bad was bound to happen; while her typical jeans might be a bit more constricting, the sweatpants she was currently wearing left much less to the imagination once she got sufficiently excited. Which wouldn't be much longer, at this rate.

"Snowflake... please..." Anna was at least aware enough to realize she was sending some severely mixed signals. As much as she wanted to scale back the... intensity of their make-out session, it was too tempting to return the favor, her own hands finding their way under Elsa's shirt and mapping out the smooth skin of her back, following along her spine up to the material of her girlfriend's bra and back down. She reveled in how Elsa arched and bowed her back, pressing into Anna's touch as much as possible. "Elsa..." The blonde bit into the tender skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder, anything further she had to say cut off by a gasping moan. An eager tongue instantly soothed the wound but the damage was done and Anna was certain she wouldn't be able to take much more of Elsa's ministrations. "Elsa, stop! I- I need to take a shower!"

Her girlfriend paused, body going almost disturbingly rigid as Anna lay panting beneath her, trying desperately to reorganize her thoughts.

The whole diverted blood flow thing wasn't helping her much.

Finally, Elsa drew back enough to look her in the eye. "Sunshine, you took a shower before we started the movie."

Fuck. She did. Not one of her long ones though. _Fuck._

"W-well, uh, you know what they say!" She forced a nervous chuckle that sounded like someone was strangling a goose. "Cleanliness is next to godliness!"

Hopefully, she would remember later to smack herself for that line.

Her girlfriend seemed equally unimpressed with her excuse, narrowing her eyes a moment before shrugging. "Okay, fine. We'll take a shower."

Anna gulped. "W-we?"

Elsa smoothly dismounted her, getting off the couch and starting towards the bedroom. At the same time, her fingers grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up, over her head, and tossed it back towards the redhead. Anna's eyes grew wide and her jaw popped open, absently snatching the discarded garment from the air so it didn't impede her view of Elsa's backside.

The blonde flashed her a small grin over her shoulder, reaching back to unclasp her bra. "Yes, Sunshine, _we_. Aren't you coming?"

Elsa was probably looking for an answer.

An answer with words.

Words Anna couldn't even imagine forming at that particular moment because what was English?

Fuck it, the head on her shoulders might be utterly useless but her body certainly had a clue what she _should_ be doing. Without really registering when it happened, Anna found herself shutting the bathroom door behind her, pressing against the wood for support as Elsa turned and yup, that, those...

Wow.

If Anna had any self restraint remaining, watching the bra straps slide down pale shoulders pretty much broke it. Not like snapped it in half- no, watching Elsa look back at her with eyes so dark a blue they were almost unrecognizable as she dropped her bra pretty much shattered her resolve into pieces so small, there was no hope of grasping even a _shred_.

Done. She was done.

 _And they hadn't even started_.

Before she could really do or say anything further, Elsa pressed against her, claiming her lips in a sloppy kiss that set Anna's heart hammering against her ribcage. Her hands, seemingly of their own accord, grasped the blonde's hips and began exploring, tracing along the smooth planes of her belly and sides until they reached her breasts. The redhead whined from the loss of Elsa's lips on hers as her girlfriend tore away, sucking in a breath as Anna cupped the weight of her chest.

"Hey, play fair," Elsa said, her voice a tad breathless as she tugged on Anna's shirt, slipping her hands beneath the fabric.

Anna wasn't of a mind to complain about having to release the treasures in her hands, ripping the garment over her head quickly and letting it fall to the floor. "Better?"

"Much." Elsa licked her lips, lightly batting Anna's hands away as she reached to undo her bra. "No... let me."

Anna swallowed thickly, nodding as she allowed herself to be pulled from against the door so Elsa could access the clasp. As she felt it release, Elsa guiding the straps down her arms, she fought the urge to press her body against the blonde's. With both of them naked from the waist up, all the redhead could think about was how glorious the skin-to-skin contact would feel once she could hold Elsa against her.

Thankfully, the blonde seemed to read her mind, swooping in to kiss her the moment the barrier was removed. Anna moaned at the sensation, relishing how their bodies seemed to just _fit_ together, warmth radiating from every inch in contact with Elsa. She almost wanted to cry, in part from joy that they'd reached a stage in their relationship the redhead had long ago given up on ever achieving and in part from how exquisite the moment was.

When Elsa broke the kiss and pulled away, Anna vehemently protested the loss, looping her arms around her girlfriend to bring them back together. The motion, however, caused their hips to connect first, which brought their attention to the main reason it had taken so long to get to this point. Before Anna could do much in the way of distracting the blonde- because, seriously, this was amazing and they could do baby steps and she didn't want to rush her amazing, sweet, loving, hot-as-hell girlfriend at all- Elsa hooked her fingers under the elastic of Anna's sweatpants, running them out to the redhead's hips and then back to the center of her belly.

"We're taking a shower, remember?" Elsa whispered, a small smile on her lips. "Might as well get rid of them now."

Oh, shit.

They were really doing this.

Fuck.

Words, Anna, use words.

"O-okay... but, back up. Please?" Anna offered a slightly nervous smile. Sure, letting Elsa do the honors would've been awesome, but some part of her recognized that her girlfriend likely had never seen a penis in the flesh before. She didn't want to startle her and the idea of accidentally hitting the blonde in the face with her member was _really_ unappealing. And probably a total mood killer to boot. "Trust me."

Elsa obliged, taking a step back and watching as Anna took a deep breath and shucked her sweatpants and boxers in one go, pushing the fabric past her thighs and letting gravity do the rest. Just as she expected, their activities made her hard enough to almost stand at attention now that her member was released from its confines. While she should've felt relief at the liberation, instead the redhead felt cold dread welling in the pit of her stomach.

What if this was Elsa's reality check? What if the blonde suddenly realized that this wasn't going to work after all? Like, some part of her said 'hey, you're a lesbian and that's a penis, these things do not mix' and everything was over? She'd _never_ been this vulnerable in front of someone in her lifetime. She couldn't even lift her gaze from the tiled floor, afraid of what she'd find.

"Wow... that's... literally the biggest penis I've ever seen." Anna's eyes snapped up to the blonde, who was busy staring, wide-eyed, at her groin. A second later, her girlfriend looked up, concern pinching her features. "That's... what I'm supposed to say, right?"

"If you're in a bad porno, yeah," Anna replied, a genuine smile slowly spreading across her face. "Wait... are you _trying_ to act like a straight girl?" When Elsa responded by merely glowering at her, the redhead actually chuckled. "You don't have to pretend, Snowflake. You can be honest. I can... I can take it."

No, no she really couldn't, but she'd try her damnedest anyway.

Elsa nodded, sweeping her gaze over the redhead from head to toe before meeting Anna's eyes once more. "Honestly, Sunshine, I'm trying to figure out which heavenly being to thank for this moment." She stepped forward, carefully pressing her body against Anna's as the redhead groaned.

"So, uh, it d-doesn't, um, dis- shit- disgust you?" Anna could barely remain coherent when they were close and fully clothed, forget trying to retain any semblance of composure with her girlfriend pressing against her like _this_.

"I'll admit that, on its own, it does nothing for me." Elsa kissed along her jaw, one hand reaching down to lightly encircle the shaft of her penis. "But as a part of you?" Her breath was hot in Anna's ear as she trailed her fingers up to swirl around the head. "There's nothing I want more."

Anna mentally applauded herself for not climaxing then and there, eyes pinching shut as her head leaned back. "O-oh fuck, Elsa, _please_."

The redhead clutched at Elsa's back, reveling in the sensations as her girlfriend continued kissing around her ear and gently stroked her, their breasts pressed against each other. She belatedly realized she should've suggested going to bed rather than taking a shower; trying to stay standing while the blonde was driving her wild was a tad more difficult than she'd ever thought it would be. In fact, if she didn't buy herself some time, she might not last long enough to even get _into_ the damn shower.

Mustering the focus to do so, Anna moved her hands down, skimming over the fabric of Elsa's shorts to grasp her rear, eliciting a sharp gasp of surprise from the blonde. She started kneading the flesh in her hands through the cloth of her shorts, dipping her head to place kisses along the other woman's shoulder, nipping lightly every so often as Elsa's whimpering moans encouraged her.

"We're never getting in the shower at this rate." Elsa chuckled, the sound cut short as Anna delivered another nip higher up, just behind her jaw.

"You're the one not ready." The redhead pointed out, the words husky and rough, pulling at Elsa's shorts.

Acknowledging the point with a gentle hum, the blonde pressed a barely there kiss to her cheek before stepping back, obviously having every intention of removing the last barrier between them. On impulse, Anna closed the distance again, lightly grabbing Elsa's wrists.

"Wait... m-may I? Please?" She tried her best to swallow around her suddenly dry mouth, eyes searching her girlfriend's.

What she saw shining back at her was an overwhelming amount of love and trust with the barest hints of anxiety around the edges.

"If you want," the blonde replied, smiling gently as Anna nodded.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Anna's hands slid beneath the fabric, and the fabric of Elsa's panties, fingers sliding over smooth skin. Kneeling down, Anna pulled the last bits of clothing from Elsa's body, exposing everything that had previously been hidden to her.

This was a moment she'd secretly fantasized about dozens of times but it in no way compared with the reality. For one thing, she'd always imagined being at least somewhat competent and confident- with the genitalia of a male came the libido of one as well, so she was more than familiar with porn in its many forms. For another, she also thought she would be more assertive.

However, as she knelt before her beloved girlfriend, in complete awe of her beauty and everything that led up to that moment, she was completely content to do whatever was asked of her and nothing more.

Anna pressed her lips reverentially to Elsa's abdomen, just below her navel and above the thinned patch of coarse blonde hair covering her mound.

"Anna..." The blonde's hand caressed her cheek gently before directing her gaze up. "We can try that another time. Tonight's about _you_."

Anna blinked in confusion a moment. First, because it took her a moment for her nearly nonexistent mental capacity to piece together that Elsa meant oral sex- which, admittedly, was definitely something the redhead wanted to explore, in depth, at some point, and hopefully soon- and, second, because of the implication.

"No," she softly said, pressing a litany of kisses to Elsa's skin as she rose before finally claiming her lips, pulling their bodies together again, bereft of any barriers between them. The contact was delicious, sending shocks of pleasure racing through her frame. "No, Snowflake, it's not about me. _Never_ about me." She drew back just enough for their gazes to meet. "It's about us. Every time, every moment, it's _us_ , together, okay?"

Her girlfriend puffed out a small laugh, shaking her head gently. "My selfless Sunshine."

"Yours and yours alone." Anna smiled, kissing Elsa again and sliding her tongue into the other woman's mouth.

The blonde quickly returned her passion, one hand venturing to gently wrap around her erection once more. She groaned at the delicious contact and again when Elsa's other hand expertly massaged her right breast, the arm that owned that hand wrapped around her body and partially supporting her, keeping them pressed close. Honestly, there was so much skin-to-skin contact, it was getting difficult for Anna to keep track of what was going on; this was far beyond anything she'd ever personally encountered and the sensory overload might actually kill her. She could barely figure out how they'd moved positions from formerly standing chest-to-chest to nearly side-by-side without breaking their kiss. She didn't like it nearly as much because it cut down on the amount of contact between them and was about to coax Elsa back in front of her.

But then Elsa started moving her hand slowly along the shaft of Anna's penis, her grip still gentle, almost maddeningly so, and the redhead couldn't help but groan, tearing her mouth away from their kiss.

"D-do you like that?" Elsa's voice was in her ear, soft and sweet and conveying need and, wow, how did they get here again?

Fuck it, it didn't matter.

"Yes," she hissed, wrapping her left arm around the blonde and allowing her right hand to comb through blonde curls. She really wished she could see what she was doing but, with Elsa's hands on her, it was extremely difficult to voice any complaint whatsoever. So, she relied on touch alone, meeting slick heat and allowing her fingers to explore the folds of Elsa's sex.

Elsa's gasp was like music to her ears as she traced unexplored territory but it was short lived as the blonde clamped her thighs together, trapping the redhead's hand. Not easily deterred, Anna wiggled her fingers, which earned her another gasp and a whine.

"Sunshine, stop." She flexed her left hand, increasing the pressure around Anna's member and rendering her momentarily incapacitated as she groaned. "I want to make you happy."

"Happy?" Anna shook her head, brushing Elsa's hand away from her penis and turning the tables, backing the blonde up until her back hit the door. She ducked her head, pressing open mouth kisses along her girlfriend's collarbone between her words, hands roaming over any skin within reach as she pressed into her. " _This_ makes me happy, Elsa. Being with you, touching you, feeling you- _this_. You want me to be happy? _Then let me love you, Elsa._ " Her right hand drifted lower, brushing along Elsa's belly and through coarse curls once more. "Give me this, Snowflake. _Please_."

Elsa moaned, breasts heaving as her other hand gently cupped one, thumb and forefinger coming together to lightly tweak her nipple.

"I know you love me, Elsa, and I know you want to show me. But let me give you this first." Her fingers rubbed at the line of Elsa's thighs, coaxing them to open and grant her access to the blonde's center. "Please, you can do me after, I promise, but I _need_ you." She went up to nip at Elsa's ear, licking the shell and lowering her voice to a gruff whisper, rough with want. "I need to show you that _you_ are my happiness, my want, my desire, my love- Gods, Elsa, please don't keep yourself hidden from me, not for another second."

Elsa tilted her head back and surrendered, parting her thighs and grabbing onto Anna, one hand on her back and the other burying in fiery red locks. The redhead's mouth was redirected into a passionate kiss as she stroked through soaked folds, relishing in the responsiveness of her beloved's body. When they broke apart, Anna returned her lips to the blonde's neck, possessive want sending her heartbeat into overdrive at the shuddering moans falling from swollen lips.

Anna focused on the sensations, on the feel of Elsa's center, mapping it out carefully. She circled the blonde's opening, wanting so very badly to enter but managing to restrain herself and instead sliding her touch up to brush against the sensitive nub- clitoris, right, it has a name- at the apex of her thighs.

"Anna!" Elsa cried out, hips jerking slightly as she paid further attention to that little bundle of nerves. "More."

She followed the blonde's direction, rubbing against Elsa's clit in slow, tight circles, adjusting the pressure to draw out her beloved's pleasure. Anna drew back after leaving a litany of love bites along the blonde's collar, watching the reactions as they played over her face. Every touch elicited a response- a moan, a whimper, a sigh, the fluttering of her eyes- and she was instantly entranced. It was tempting to just watch but something deep within her craved more- more of those reactions, more contact, just _more_ \- and she applied herself accordingly.

Ducking her head, Anna took the unattended nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue over the areola and scraping her teeth gently across the sensitive flesh. Elsa gasped out, the hand still tangled in the redhead's hair taking a firmer hold of those locks.

"Anna," Elsa said, voice breathy and weak from panting, legs beginning to shake. "Inside."

"Hmm?" She looked up to the blonde's face without releasing the jewel in her mouth.

"I need you." Anna felt a hand take hold of her wrist and pull her back, towards Elsa's awaiting entrance. " _Inside_."

Well... shit.

Reluctantly releasing the flesh in her mouth with a wet pop, the redhead dipped her middle finger into the blonde's center, teasing her.

She was not amused, scratching at Anna's scalp with her nails. " _Sunshine, in, now!_ "

Oh, that- that tone was _amazing_. It was oh _so_ tempting to continue teasing Elsa, just to hear her continue speaking in that voice that conveyed want and need and desire and _shit_ she was hard as a rock and throbbing and desperate to be touched from all this.

Rather than address it, Anna shoved her own arousal to the back of her mind and eased her finger into the woman writhing against the door, reveling in the tight, warm wetness that engulfed her digit. There was a moment of panic- Elsa was pressing against her, so completely it was impossible to imaging putting anything bigger in there- but it quickly fell away as Elsa moaned in approval and rocked her hips, sinking Anna deeper into her.

She pressed the heel of her palm against Elsa's clit and watched as the blonde started rocking her hips, grinding against her hand. She timed the movement of her finger to coincide with the blonde's hips, sliding against pulsing inner walls and seeking out the spot that would send Elsa over the edge. As much as she wanted to prolong things, to draw out every moment and every sensation, she wanted to watch Elsa's release so much more.

"I love you, Snowflake." Her voice was rough and low and Elsa whined in response. "I love you _so_ much." By some magical stroke of luck, Anna found the spot she was looking for, pressing against it on the next thrust of her finger. Elsa arched into her, moaning, clutching at her as her orgasm built. "Elsa."

"Anna, _I'm so close_." Elsa's eyes were pinched shut, skin slicked with sweat and flushed, breasts heaving with every breath. Her words were in Norwegian, English beyond her grasp in the heat of the moment.

"Then come for me, Elsa." Anna pushed in deep, pressing against that spot and grinding her palm against the blonde's clit, quickly moving her other hand to the small of her girlfriend's back as she cried out and came undone beneath Anna's touch. Her thighs trembled and she screamed out Anna's name, hips jerking as her inner muscles clenched and twitched around the redhead's finger.

It was beautiful. Anna could feel the smile on her face as she watched her girlfriend shudder through her release, supporting her, holding her close as she slowly came down from her high, panting and murmuring sweet words in her native tongue.

When she finally saw those beautiful blue eyes open, the redhead felt as if her heart would burst from the affection shining so clearly. Her finger was still deep within Elsa but she didn't dare retreat and leave the blonde's enveloping warmth. She leaned in, kissing Elsa deep and slow.

"I love you, Snowflake." She murmured against her girlfriend's lips, carefully withdrawing her finger and popping the digit into her mouth, cleaning away the sticky fluid with her tongue. Her member throbbed and twitched as the taste spread across her tongue, her arousal spiking as she imagined drinking in the blonde straight from the source.

"Mmmm, I love you too, Sunshine," Elsa replied with a lazy smile that slowly twisted into a sultry smirk. "Now, it's _your_ turn."

"You don't have to-" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, a purely reflexive response. Before Anna could really register it, she found her back against the door, a very fierce blonde looming over her.

"Oh no, you're _not_ backing out of this." Elsa still had a hand buried in Anna's hair and pulled gently, tilting her head to the side and granting the blonde access to her neck. Anna shivered as her girlfriend began running her tongue along her skin, following her rapid pulse, up to her ear to whisper quietly. "I want you, Anna, Sunshine, I _want_ you and I'm done putting this off." Suddenly, Elsa's hand was wrapped around her penis once more, grip firm and wonderful and _yes_. "I want to feel you, see you- don't hold back, Sunshine. Give me everything you've got."

 _FUCK_.

"Elsa." Anna groaned, her hips jerking, seeking more of that delicious touch. "G-get the lotion."

"Lotion?" She was at least aware enough to recognize the confusion in her girlfriend's tone.

"Hand lotion makes it easier, trust me." The redhead made a vague motion towards the bathroom counter, where she kept a bottle at all times. She hoped Elsa didn't read too much into that; as she often said, she was only human in the presence of a goddess.

Elsa's presence receeded as she retrieved the lotion, giving Anna a chance to lean her head back and close her eyes. Given how turned on she was, there was a small concern about being able to, well, _last_. She didn't want to be a 'two pump chump' but, damn if she wasn't about ready to burst.

"Oh, shit." Anna's hips jerked again as Elsa wrapped her hand around her member again, her palm sliding smoothly along her length. Everything was different- the pressure, the motion, the feel- and the redhead found herself trying to think of something to stave off her impending orgasm. Like _hell_ she was going to let this end quickly.

The blonde, of course, had other plans, using her unoccupied hand to explore as she continued pumping Anna's erection, eventually cupping her scrotum and squeezing gently.

Wow, that was _amazing_. Sure, she was sensitive down there too, but she'd never tried playing with her balls while masturbating. She moaned, encouraging the blonde to grip her firmer in both places, which wasn't exactly the best idea.

"Wh-whoa, c-careful." She reached down, brushing her fingers against the blonde's hand around her penis. "T-tighter with this one, other one, no."

Elsa immediately adjusted her hands, much to Anna's relief.

"I'm guessing speech is difficult when I'm touching you like this, hmmm?" There were a lot of things difficult; now the blonde was just teasing her, and she was okay with that. She was okay with just about everything at that point.

But, she was somehow aware enough to realize that Elsa's voice came from far lower than it should have and opened her eyes, looking down. Elsa was kneeling in front of her, eyes focused on her task, both hands on Anna's body, and that image alone was almost enough to push her over the egde, pre-cum leaking from the head of her penis.

Elsa's eyes flicked up to hers, the blonde smirking briefly before her tongue flicked out and ran over her head.

And DONE.

Anna's eyes slammed shut as her head tilted back, her erection swelling and scrotum drawing up tight to her body. She was about to blow and she needed to warn Elsa because she desperately hoped for a repeat performance soon and didn't want anything marring it. "Sn-sn- Elsa!"

The blonde's response was to lick her head again and Anna lost it. She groaned as her orgasm washed over her, hips jerking with each spurt of ejaculate that pulsed through her length. It felt like hours and minutes at the same time, euphoria spreading through her body.

"Wow." Elsa's voice registered in her ears dimly. "I'm... oddly impressed?"

Anna shuddered, coming back to her senses slowly as she caught her breath and blinked her world back into focus, noting that she'd somehow ended up in Elsa's arms at some point after reaching her climax. Her legs must've given out, seeing as the blonde was supporting her weight against the door, pressing gentle kisses to her neck.

"Welcome back, Sunshine." Elsa was obviously amused and she briefly wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "How do you feel?"

"Madly in love with a goddess of a woman," she replied instantly, pressing her body against the blonde's as she returned the embrace. There was a part of her that worried- thanks to, again, way too much research than was healthy- that she would fall victim to being disinterested in Elsa once acheiving her orgasm, like some men. Thankfully, she was still a cuddler and found herself slipping into utter contentment as Elsa pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I know the feeling." She laughed lightly, stroking along the redhead's hip. "I'm a little concerned about clean-up, though."

Curious, Anna took in the state of the bathroom and felt herself begin blushing profusely. Perhaps she'd been a bit more... pent up than she'd originally thought. It wasn't _that_ bad, really, but... they may need a new shower rug.

"Oops. I'm s-"

"You better not be apologizing." Elsa quickly cut in, nuzzling into Anna's neck. "Between the two of us, you have nothing to be sorry for, Sunshine."

"And you do?" She frowned, lightly peppering kisses along Elsa's collarbone.

"You've been patient," the blonde said, her tone slightly wistful. "I've been... difficult."

"Nope." Anna shook her head and made sure to meet her girlfriend's gaze. "I don't buy it. You haven't been difficult; you're the reason we've made it this far. You've been _committed_ , Snowflake, and I aboslutely adore you for it."

Chuckling, Elsa leaned in to kiss her languidly. When they parted, the blonde spoke softly. "Then... is it okay if... I just- going farther-"

"Shush, Snowflake, it's okay." Anna quickly started rubbing along the blonde's back, trying to soothe her girlfriend. "Hey, don't be upset; I'm not! Not at all! I feel freaking awesome, honestly!" She laughed. "This doesn't change anything between us, Elsa, and I'm definitely not going to _demand_ anything from you." Schooling her expression into a more serious one, Anna raised a brow. "But, if you start to feel the itch, I'm _more than willing_ to scratch it."

Elsa snorted, shaking her head. "You've been hanging out with Eugene too much."

"Guilty as charged, Your Honor." She continued running her hands along the blonde's back, drinking in the sensation as much as she could. She actually really liked this part, getting to touch and cuddle with her beloved without worrying about getting an erection. True, her... recovery period was pretty short, by normal standards, but at the moment she was spent and able to just enjoy the moment. "It's okay if you don't want to go any farther. Or if, uh, it didn't really, um, appeal to you."

Then it was Elsa's turn to comfort her, lips pressing against hers. "Stop that. It actually appealed to me more than I would've guessed. I'm just... not sure I want to put it in my mouth quite yet. I mean, you taste good, it's just, um, I'm going to... stop... talking now."

Anna giggled, opting not to tease the blonde about the blush she was sporting.

"So... can we still take that shower?" She grinned, earning a surprised chuckle from Elsa.

"Sure. We both did work up a bit of a sweat." The blonde pulled away, heading over to the stall and leaning over so she could start the water flow and adjust the temperature. Not that Anna was really paying attention to that because, well, she was only human and Elsa was bending over in front of her, her center still glistening. When the blonde turned back around, she caught Anna licking her lips and shook her head, smiling. "Not tonight, Sunshine. Baby steps, okay?"

Anna _really_ wanted to argue- she wasn't concerned about reciprocation at this point, seriously- but reluctantly agreed, recognizing that she was allowing the head _not_ on her shoulders to do the thinking and that needed to stop.

She was about to take a shower with her beloved girlfriend; she wasn't in any position to complain about _shit_.

Kicking her higher brain functions back into gear, Anna stepped into the stall, helping Elsa in after and shutting the curtain, pleasantly surprised by the water temperature. While the blonde preferred her showers on the colder side of the scale, Anna's were always nearly scalding, unless she literally needed a cold shower. For their first shared showering experience, Elsa had set the temperature somewhere in the middle, and tending towards the hot side, which Anna adjusted a little cooler.

"Can you hand me my shampoo?"

"Sure." Anna reached out, pausing only briefly before grabbing the bottle. "While you're doing your hair, can I do your body? Wait, I mean..." she blinked "... well, that's pretty much what I mean, but-"

Accepting the shampoo, Elsa pressed a watery kiss to her lips. "Of course, Sunshine. But no funny business. I mean it."

"I'm offended. I'm not completely incapable of controlling myself, you know." She teased, grabbing a washcloth and soap.

"Around me you are," Elsa replied, winking at her as she poured some of her shampoo into one hand.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Yes, blame the mere mortal, because that's fair."

They both chuckled before setting to their respective tasks. True to her word, Anna's touch wasn't meant to tease or excite; she lovingly washed every inch of Elsa's skin, committing to memory the faint freckles dusting the blonde's shoulders, every curve, and every sensitive spot as she went, taking special care as she ran the cloth over Elsa's breasts and between her legs. More than once she found herself distracted, watching the water as it ran across the blonde's skin, but a subtle shift was all it took to remind her of her task.

When she was finished, she helped condition the blonde's hair and they switched roles, Elsa taking the washcloth while Anna fussed with her hair. There were a few times when she completely lost track of what she was doing as Elsa carefully cleaned her body, her mind focused on _not_ getting excited again.

Which was hard.

Puns certainly didn't help.

Anna was about to breathe a sigh of relief when they moved on, grabbing her conditioner and passing the bottle to her girlfriend. Then Elsa started running her fingers through the redhead's locks and Anna essentially lost track of which planet she was on, because, damn did Elsa have some magic fingers.

"Can we do this again?" She opened her eyes- not exactly sure when they had closed- when she felt Elsa stop. "Shower together, I mean." She turned, offering a genuine smile as the conditioner was rinsed from her hair. "It's nice not having to pretend I'm a contortionist just to wash my back."

Sure, some tiny part of her was a little frustrated that the blonde was still reluctant about sex, but that was just her impatience talking and it could shut right the hell up.

"You have a point." Elsa murmured, drawing Anna into a tender kiss that felt a tad apologetic. "If our schedules allow. Maybe next time we can try a bath."

"Oh, a bubble bath? Please say a bubble bath."

The blonde laughed, motioning for Anna to shut off the water as she agreed, even going so far as allowing her to pick the scent. The two stepped out of the stall and began toweling each other off, making small talk about their schedules for the upcoming week.

"So, we're still on for Tuesday night at Kristoff's?" Anna entered their bedroom, heading towards her dresser to grab some pajamas. "Sven's making carrot cake for dessert. Trust me, he makes _the best_ carrot cakes."

"I'm sure he does. I'm looking forward to it, actually." Elsa paused briefly. "Um." Anna looked over her shoulder, one hand already holding a suitable shirt, to raise a brow at her girlfriend. "Could... we... just go to bed?"

The redhead blinked, slightly confused by the request. Wasn't that what they were doing? And why was Elsa being so fidgety? ...Wait. "Does this mean naked cuddles?"

Elsa chuckled, averting her gaze as a slight blush rose in her cheeks. "Yes."

"Sweet!" Anna rushed over, pulling her girlfriend towards the bed.

They quickly settled in, though Elsa opted to be the little spoon for the night. Anna, meanwhile, was too giddy for words, using the opportunity to whisper how much she adored the blonde into the other woman's ear until they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Anna was startled awake a few hours later and did her best to explain to her poor, confused girlfriend that 'morning wood' didn't just happen in the mornings and was totally natural and normal, all without laughing at the sincere confusion written across Elsa's face.

She mostly succeeded and honestly considered it a victory she wasn't sent to the couch for the remainder of the night.

* * *

Author's Note: So, there was a _lot_ of ways I thought this whole... _thing_ was going to go; it ended up going like this. The next few chapters will be much the same, with the spotlight _mostly_ being on their physical relationship with some other scenes mixed in (because life goes on and doesn't pause for sexy times). After that, the smut content is going to be way low but alluded to several times. If you're disappointed, I'm sorry, but I'm just not very confident writing that sort of stuff. Which is annoying, to be honest. Anyway, I hope this can live up to your expectations. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : Do I really have to do this every time? Of course I do; I don't own anything. Also, this is _definitely_ the most nervous I've ever been about posting a story. I'm really concerned I'll either miss something or disappoint all y'all. Anyway, here's the next installment and, again, smut ahead, a bit past halfway through. Oh, and all puns are intentional, because I am a horrible person and love them _so_ very much in a decidedly unironic way.

* * *

As something of a nerd when it came to movies and musicals, Anna was more than familiar with midnight releases. She'd never, however, experienced the midnight release of a _book_. Really, it wasn't _too_ different... except she could barely keep up with everyone else's extensive knowledge of _Complacency of the Learned_.

Luckily, Elsa wasn't keen on leaving her side through out the night, easily diverting the attention of anyone who approached the duo to compliment their costumes and keeping the heat off her. Because they were definitely the type of couple to dress up for a midnight release, of course, and to have some of the best costumes in the bookstore.

Anna was, apparently, dressed up as the series' main protagonist/antagonist person or whatever... it was confusing, but somehow made sense to the fans, so the redhead tried her best to be polite and respond whenever someone addressed her as 'Calmassis'. Elsa, on the other hand, took on the persona of 'Lady Grimm', a relatively minor character that supposedly functioned as an author avatar. It was interesting to see the blonde in a short haired wig and a dress that fit her quite well- even if purple and black weren't her typical colors. Then again, Anna wasn't too crazy about green but her girlfriend was quite adamant that she looked good in the suit, a pendant of the twining snakes on her lapel.

"I never thought a wig would be so itchy." Anna mildly complained, resisting the urge to scratch under her short, white haired wig while Elsa checked the time.

"It's almost midnight," she said, absolutely giddy and reminding Anna why she was there in the first place. Although Lady Grimm was, canonically, a very reserved figure, Elsa was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet and smiling wide. "I can't believe this one came out so quickly! It hasn't even been a year yet!"

Despite the persistent agitation with her wig, Anna's lips twitched into a smile at the reminder. She'd tried reading the books herself- actually starting at the beginning this time- but couldn't quite immerse herself in the dense text the way Elsa did. However, there was talk of a movie deal, so maybe she would just wait for that to come out, though her girlfriend was quite adamant that even a six hour long movie wouldn't be able to do the first book justice. Not that Elsa wouldn't go see it anyway- even if it sucked- and Anna promised to go with her if the movies ended up happening. She even agreed to letting Elsa point out everything they did wrong so she'd have someone to vent to rather than keeping it all bottled inside- which, based on their viewing of _Eragon_ , was probably going to involve a lengthy rant afterwards and chocolate smoothies to calm the blonde down. Anna wasn't complaining, though, not at all; she still _loved_ watching and listening when Elsa spoke passionately, even when she was going on about book-to-movie conversions and the like.

"Maybe she released the book early to reward her fans for actually finishing the first three." Anna playfully suggested, earning a soft slap to her arm. "Hey, I'm just saying you deserve a medal for keeping track of all these characters and stuff. I'm still not completely sure who I'm supposed to be."

"Hmmm, who you're supposed to be." Elsa smiled, looping her arms around Anna's green-clad shoulders and resting their foreheads together. "I think you're supposed to be Anna, my considerate, beautiful, adorable, amazing lover, dressed up as a fictional character from my favorite book series just to make me smile, something that reminds me just how strongly I love you."

"Well, that's close. But, I feel like I have to correct you on one little detail." She reached up to trace her fingers along Elsa's neck before gently cupping her cheek. "It's not _just_ to make you smile. I want to make you _happy_ and I'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that."

They leaned in, enjoying a brief moment of intimacy before breaking apart. While they were typically quite affectionate in public, Elsa was very clear about limiting their displays during the midnight release. Apparently, CotL shippers could be... vicious in defending their 'ships and CalRimm was not one of the bigger groups within the fandom. The last thing either of them wanted was to cause a scene- and, possibly, deprive the blonde of her copy of the book, as amusing as it would be to repeat history.

Some small part of the redhead's mind absently pointed out that they were standing almost exactly where they first met; the chair Anna had sat in that fateful Saturday was off to the side, moved only slightly over the course of the year for cleaning and other nonsense. It was almost full circle.

"Speaking of happiness, our anniversary is next month." The blonde smiled, leaning back and tilting her head to the side. "If that's something you're interested in celebrating."

"Absolutely!" She snuck another kiss, just a quick press of their lips, before stepping back completely. "I was about to bring that up myself. It's my turn to plan, right? I mean, you got Valentine's Day and The Netherlands trip."

Elsa narrowed her eyes briefly. "Technically, my parents planned our trip for us." She shook her head. "How about a compromise?"

"I'm listening."

"Let's plan something together." Anna's brows raised in surprise, prompting Elsa to hastily continue. "If you want to keep a few surprises, that's fine, but... I want to do this together."

Anna nodded, mulling the idea over before chuckling. In retrospect, that was really obvious and a pretty good idea to boot, but- oddly enough- something they really hadn't done before. Sure, they did a lot of things together but... when it came to the _big_ things- the Fireworks date, V-Day, meeting Anna's parents, Elsa's parents- usually it was one party along for the ride while the other took the initiative. "Okay. Yeah, let's do it! It's a Sunday, so we've got all day. Did you have any ideas?"

"I was thinking dinner at Tiana's, honestly. Actually going there this time." Elsa immediately smiled, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder as the redhead shuddered. "I promise I'll make sure there aren't any fish eyes involved."

"So considerate." She took her girlfriend's hand and pressed her lips to her knuckles. "That sounds lovely. How about ice skating before? Maybe in the morning?"

"And a movie after ice skating?"

"How about hot chocolate somewhere in there?"

"Time for the countdown!" Both women were startled out of their conversation by a voice over the store's intercom, followed by the low rumbling of many people moving at once, all heading to the same destination.

"Oh! It's time! Come on!" Elsa took Anna's hand as they wound their way to display, which was surrounded by other fans. The fourth book was, much like its predecessor, a thick tome that looked like it could kill a cat if dropped from a moderate height. "Oh I can't wait to read it! Can you drive home, by the way?" She suddenly turned a bit sheepish, blushing ever so slightly at her own request. "I know it's silly but I'd rather not waste another minute waiting. The way the last one ended was just so..."

Thus began a tirade that Anna had heard _at least_ six times that evening alone, either from her beloved or other fans who engaged in conversation with them, but weathered the seventh time regardless. Giving her girlfriend a wry grin, Anna shook her head slightly. "Please tell me I've only temporarily lost you to the grimdark clutches of the Complacency, and your every wish is my command, Milady."

"It's temporary indeed, my sweet apprentice," Elsa replied, smirking as she wrapped the redhead up in a hug. " _Thank_ you. It should only take about a week."

She glanced back at the _extremely thick_ book that likely had a page count in the quintuple digits. "It takes you _only a week_ to read through all that?"

"Maybe less." Elsa shrugged, producing her numbered ticket as everyone started assembling in numerical order, a large clock overhead counting down the minutes to midnight.

Although mildly shocked that _anyone_ could read that quickly- three weeks and she'd only made it to the end of the first chapter! Seriously!- Anna shook it off and laughed at her own reaction, joining in when everyone started counting aloud.

Unable to resist, Anna waited until the countdown reached zero before pulling Elsa into a kiss, the blonde melting into her embrace quickly. She could hear the various complaints of people around them and the occasional cheer but could hardly care about their audience.

When they parted, Elsa laughed. "What was that for?"

"Believe me, I don't _need_ a reason to kiss you; I just take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves." They shuffled along in the line, hand-in-hand. "But, if you're asking what specifically prompted me to act, it was the countdown. It reminded me of New Year's."

"Is that going to be your automatic response every time you hear a countdown, then?" The twinkle in those blue eyes spoke volumes of mischief and Anna _had_ to nod, just to fan that spark a little brighter. "Consider that duly noted."

Twenty minutes later, they were in the car heading home, her girlfriend curled up in the passanger seat and reading with her phone to light the page.

They still had a month before their anniversary. If anything, Elsa's distraction gave Anna the chance to come up with some really good gift ideas and suggestions for the day.

"Anna," Elsa said suddenly. She glanced her girlfriend's way briefly to acknowledge her, keeping her attention focused on the road. "I love you."

The redhead smiled, reaching out to take the blonde's hand in hers. "I love you too."

* * *

The following morning, Anna was surprised to find Elsa's alarm tone replaced with a recorded countdown. She at least managed to kiss her girlfriend silly before falling to the floor laughing.

* * *

It seriously only took Elsa a week to finish that monstrosity of a book. From what Anna could tell, the ending was an even _worse_ cliffhanger than the previous installment, with no projected release date for book number five, and she got the distinct impression that not only was the author doing this on purpose, but the fans actually kind of expected it. Apparently, the author was as well known for trolling her readers as producing quality, gigantic tomes.

Although initially a bit displeased about the turn of events- Anna had to fight to keep a straight face during Elsa's hour long rant after finishing- the blonde seemed to refocus her attention elsewhere quickly.

Specifically, to a really weird... diet type thing that came straight out of nowhere.

"Hey, could you swing by the store on your way home?"

"Sure!" Anna replied cheerily, sliding into her Mini and throwing her book bag into the empty passenger seat, switching her phone between hands as she settled into her car. "You working late today?"

"Just staying over a few hours; they're preparing the end of quarter projections and I wanted to observe." The redhead smiled, mentally giggling at the shift from girlfriend-asking-for-a-favor to this-is-my-company's-future-we're-talking-about mode.

Ever since the school year had started up again, Elsa was applying herself even harder to finishing her degree- which her father told her more than once was unnecessary and she only was missing one class besides- and learning the ins and outs of the lowest rungs of management. Strange as it sounded, the increased workload for both of them didn't impact their relationship negatively; on the contrary, Anna found them communicating a lot more often so they could make the most of their time together. It was beyond sweet, in her opinion, because it made every day seem special.

"Okay, are you going to text me the list?" She fastened her seatbelt and started her car, rolling down the window and enjoying the early autumn breeze. "Or is this the dreaded 'go pick up tampons' run that I've heard so much about?"

"You're been hanging out with Eugene too much." She could just _hear_ the wry smirk likely adorning the blonde's face. "I'll send you the list. It's just a few things, I promise."

"Okay, see you when you get home! Love you, Snowflake."

"I love you too, Sunshine. Oh, and don't forget to start thawing the salmon."

"You got it! Love you."

Elsa chuckled. "Love you too. I'll be home as soon as possible."

"Just be safe, okay?"

"Always, and the same goes for you." Elsa paused, obviously waiting to see if Anna was going to hang up. Which she was going to do, honest, but... "I love you, Sunshine."

The redhead felt her lips stretch into an almost embarrassingly wide smile. "I love you too, Snowflake."

Reluctantly, she hung up and headed for the store, listening to the radio and tapping out the rhythm of the songs on her steering wheel. Anna had previously avoided the station at all costs, seeing as they only seemed to play sappy, upbeat pop and country love songs but she suddenly didn't object to their selections anymore.

Once she got to the store, Anna checked her phone for the promised text and tried her hardest not to bat an eyelash at it. She failed, of course, but... well, who went to the store _just_ for whole dill pickles, ten bananas, and a box of popsicles? Since when did Elsa even eat this stuff?

Eventually, Anna shrugged off the odd items and went into the store, collecting them in short order- though she briefly debated which brand of popsicles to get, because there was apparently a ton of different ways to freeze flavored water- and headed home, putting the items away and cracking open her textbooks so she could power through as much homework as possible before her girlfriend got home. Though Elsa said she wouldn't need any help, Anna was still going to offer.

Which reminded her about the salmon.

It was only, like, a ten minute delay.

Not even.

Anyway, after that little mental slip, Anna went back to the study, focusing on her papers. She was so engrossed in an essay about the global impact of currency depreciation that she didn't even hear the front door, startling slightly when Elsa draped her arms over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her jaw.

"Working hard, my love?" The blonde drew back slightly, rubbing her shoulders in a gentle massage that had Anna melting in her hands.

Ever since their shared shower, Elsa was much more... hands-on, would probably be the best way to put it. More often than not, the touches tended towards the intimate nature, but sometimes they were just like now: reducing the redhead to a smiling goofball as she gazed up at the other woman. She hadn't quite gotten the chance to return the favor, seeing as her girlfriend was a surprisingly difficult person to catch off guard.

"Something like that," Anna lazily replied, her eyes begging for a proper kiss. Her request was quickly granted, their lips meeting in a languid exchange that held the promise of becoming something more before Elsa pulled away.

"I'm going to start on dinner." She pressed another kiss to the top of Anna's head.

"I can help!" The redhead started to push away from her desk when her girlfriend impeded her progress.

"I'd rather you finish your work. Unless you want to skip the movie-"

"Nope! No, we are totally watching _The Princess Bride_ because you haven't seen it yet and that is unacceptable." Anna furrowed her brows, picking up her pen again. "I'll be done by dinner."

Elsa laughed, giving her another kiss before leaving their study. Anna spent the next hour writing furiously, doing her best to wrap her mind around the concepts she was supposed to be analyzing without getting lost in it all. At some point, she had to admit to herself that the international business practices would never come as easily to her as they did to Elsa, but she was still determined to make this work.

She managed to knock out her assignments relatively quickly, spurned on by the delicious smells wafting into the study from the kitchen. Setting her books aside, Anna crept out into the hallway, hoping to sneak up behind the blonde and pay her back for earlier.

Instead, when the redhead peeked into the kitchen, what she saw pretty much rendered any thought of affectionate revenge utterly useless.

Elsa was standing by the stove with a look of utter concentration on her face, using one hand to stir a pot occasionally with a spoon. The other hand was occupied with a pickle, which in itself was innocent enough... if she was _eating_ the damn thing.

She sure as hell wasn't eating the damn thing.

Anna swallowed hard, watching as her girlfriend licked and sucked the pickle- which she was probably doing because pickles were really juicy and she liked the taste or something easily explainable- but the idea that this was entirely innocent scampered a little further away from her grasp as the blonde wrapped her lips around the vegetable, like she was going to take a bite.

Elsa did not take a bite.

Instead, she started... sucking. Like, hollowing out her cheeks and...

Maybe she just really liked the juice. She was probably going to bite into it any moment now and the redhead was totally overreacting.

Anna gulped, trying to steady her breathing. She was acting liking a creeper and a pervert but found it oh so very difficult to look away. Especially when her girlfriend pulled the pickle out of her mouth without actually biting into it, instead swirling her tongue around its girth and-

The redhead went back to the study, sat down in her chair, and slumped over until her forehead was resting against the desk, desperately trying to think of things that would calm her raging libido.

After the night of their shared shower, physical intimacy between the couple had significantly increased- the last week notwithstanding. Elsa usually initiated things but Anna was slowly realizing that she could do so as well; strange as it might sound, it felt weird for the redhead to be the one getting things started. She constantly worried she might push her girlfriend too far, despite equally persistent assurances that that wouldn't be the case.

They were working on it.

But, all those exchanges were... manual, in nature. Nothing... oral or, ah, further. Yet. Again, they were working on it, and that was fine!

But _wow_ was Elsa the biggest tease in the universe! Without even trying, too!

How? How was _this_ Anna's life? Sharing an apartment with a gorgeous woman who loved her and could get her from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye- seriously, there was no way she'd racked up the karma to justify this. She needed to do some volunteer work or something, keep herself on the positive side of the scale.

"Time for dinner!" Elsa's voice called from the kitchen.

Anna checked to make sure she was presentable before heeding the call, greeting her girlfriend with a kiss as she helped set the table. Of course, the damn pickle was still present, laying on a napkin, not missing even a tiny bite.

"Aren't you the one always getting onto me for spoiling my dinner?" The redhead teased, curious to see how Elsa would react.

To her surprise, her girlfriend merely laughed, grabbing the vegetable and putting it on her plate. "Resisting the temptation was difficult, I'll admit. Thanks for reminding me. Did you want one, too?"

Pickles and salmon?

Maybe it was a Norwegian thing.

"No, thanks." She sat down, the two of them delving into a conversation about their days as they ate, all less-than-innocent thoughts regarding Elsa's choice in snacks dismissed for the time being. It was just her thinking with the wrong head again, that's all.

After they'd cleared their plates, they settled in for the movie, breaking apart the popsicles that came packaged two at a time.

She'd be lying if she didn't admit to watching Elsa out of the corner of her eye for the duration of their dessert. She didn't _seem_ to be enjoying the treat in a provocative way... it was probably just Anna's imagination.

She really needed to get her head out of the gutter.

Both of them.

* * *

Nearly a week later, after grinding her way through an assignment for one of her business classes- and thanking the heavens about a zillion times that Elsa took meticulous notes when _she_ had the classes, because notes where never Anna's strong point and she needed all the help she could get- the redhead pushed herself away from the desk and sighed heavily. While changing her major was only a slight set back, it was certainly a more intensive caseload than her original graduation plan- which, admittedly, wasn't much to begin with. How Elsa managed to understand all this so... _naturally_ was completely beyond the redhead.

Hearing a soft knock on the door, Anna turned her head, smiling as Elsa entered the room carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. Although she still didn't share the blonde's affinity for the stuff, she didn't mind sharing a glass or two at the end of a long week. And this certainly qualified as a _long_ week. Not only was her school work ridiculously difficult, her job was starting to tighten her hours, meaning less money for her to spend, though Elsa offered more than once to take care of the redhead's expenses. She'd refused on principle, of course, not wanting anyone to even have an opportunity to accuse her of using the blonde; she didn't necessarily complain when she noticed her gas tank was full more often than she actually filled up, but she didn't _ask_ for anything. Add to all this her girlfriend's... strange- and very, very hot- new eating habits...

'Long week' didn't even begin to cover it.

"Special occasion?"

"Something like that," her girlfriend replied, nodding back towards the door. "Join me?"

"Like you even have to ask." Anna shot up from her seat, hot on Elsa's heels as they bypassed the living room and went straight to the bedroom, which was lit only by the lamps. The redhead raised a brow. "Early night tonight, Snowflake?"

"Not exactly."

At Elsa's insistence, they climbed onto the bed, Anna accepting the glass handed to her and waiting for both to be filled with a pink tinted wine before replying with a grin.

"You know, the whole 'cryptic response' bit is only going to last so long before I start using unfair means to interrogate you."

They laughed, taking a sip of their wine glasses; sweet and crisp, it wasn't Elsa's favorite brand but rather a strawberry wine that Anna admitted to loving not too long ago.

"I'm tempted to let you try that." The blonde teased, sliding closer and coaxing her into leaning back against the headboard, pillows moved aside for the time being. Her girlfriend then entwined their hands and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "But, honestly, I just want to spend some quality time with you. We've been missing that lately." Anna opened her mouth to argue but was silenced by another kiss to her forehead. "And no, you cuddling up next to me while I read doesn't count as quality time. That was one-sided and I should've participated a bit more."

Anna ducked her head slightly and smiled in spite of herself; she'd really hoped she'd hidden that a bit better. While she wasn't exactly starved for attention by any means, she _had_ missed being able to interact with Elsa as much as usual throughout the past two weeks. Some of it was due to the book but they'd also had unusually difficult schedules to balance as well. But, that was part of the give and take in relationships, so she'd tried to downplay it as much as possible. "Guess I'm a bit needy, huh?"

"No, not at all; it's actually very flattering." The blonde gently cupped her cheek, turning her head until their lips met in a soft kiss sweetened by the wine. "And while I really appreciate your understanding, Sunshine, I want to make it up to you."

"You don't have to make anything up to me, Snowflake." Anna reached over and set her wine glass on the nightstand, nuzzling back into Elsa's embrace once both hands were free. "But I'm not about to complain about some cuddle time."

The blonde chuckled, taking another sip before setting her own glass aside. "What if cuddle time wasn't exactly what I had in mind?"

Anna raised an eyebrow but quickly got the picture as her girlfriend's hands started gently tracing along the lines of her jeans. She smirked. "Well... I'm open to suggestions."

"Oh?" Elsa pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "And how should I go about making a suggestion?"

In hindsight, she probably should've been a bite more careful in choosing her answer. "Aggressively."

There was a moment when they just stared at each other before the redhead found a very eager tongue entering her mouth as her girlfriend settled into a new position- straddling her lap. Pressed back against the headboard, she had absolutely _no_ problem matching the blonde's intensity, hands settling on her girlfriend's hips as one of Elsa's tangled in her hair while the other gripped her shirt.

She could taste the wine on her lover's tongue, moaning as the blonde stroked her firmly, eagerly losing herself to the sensations. It wasn't a surprise at all when the blonde shifted, unbuttoned her pants, and pulled down the zipper. Despite Anna being a bit disappointed that she would be the first one on the receiving end, she didn't dare protest, allowing Elsa to reach into her pants and gently pulled out her rapidly hardening erection. She was lucky- _so_ so lucky, because Elsa was amazing and perfect and just wonderful- but whined anyway like a petulant child at the loss of lips against hers, already missing the feel and taste of her lover on her tongue.

But then the blonde was shuffling back, taking her warmth away from Anna completely, which she would've objected to if she wasn't under the impression that Elsa was doing it for her comfort; it was probably a bit of an awkward position. As it turned out, her girlfriend had something else in mind entirely, and she wasn't privy to that until she felt something warm and wet swirling around the head of her shaft briefly.

Forcing her eyes open, Anna looked down and felt her breath catch in her throat, heart stuttering as Elsa took her into her mouth, tongue tracing the underside of her shaft. It felt _amazing_ , way better than anything before, and the redhead was tempted to just sit back and enjoy the attentions being lavished upon her. Especially as Elsa went lower, deeper, wrestling a strangled moan from her throat as more of her length was engulfed in warm wetness, twitching uncontrollably. She started to lean her head back, eyes closing as she slowly slipped into the euphoria the blonde's touch could bring, but jerked back to herself when she felt Elsa's mouth leave her completely and heard a cough.

"Snowflake?" She winced slightly at how husky her voice was but her expression quickly fell when she saw Elsa once again taking her shaft into her mouth, further than before, and the distress apparent in her expression pulled Anna out of the experience completely. "Elsa, stop, stop stop stop." She panicked, gently pushing at the blonde's head as she started gagging, coughing hard once Anna's penis was out of her mouth as she struggled to breath. "Oh my- are you okay? Hold on, just breathe."

The redhead got off the bed, walking on unsteady legs to the bathroom and bringing back a glass of water, beating down the panic rising in her chest. Elsa accepted it, taking a drink once she'd stopped coughing while Anna rubbed her back soothingly.

"Sorry." The blonde croaked out, cheeks flushed from embarrassment rather than arousal as she looked away. "I just... I thought I could... I... wasn't prepared enough... I guess. I'm sorry-"

"Shush." The redhead smiled gently, taking the empty glass from her girlfriend's hand and reaching over to set it aside, grabbing the wine glass and offering that in its place. Elsa gratefully took it, swirling the liquid around a little before putting it to her lips and hesitating. She took a small sip and sighed, eyes downcast. Concerned, Anna pressed a kiss to her cheek. "It's okay, Snowflake. Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

The look she received quite clearly said that yes, it was a big deal, and she should be acting like it, but she just smiled a little wider and placed another kiss just behind Elsa's ear. "You're downplaying this."

"No I'm not," she instantly replied, teasing the blonde's earlobe with her teeth. Despite the little bump in the night, Anna was _more_ than ready for a little fun and wasn't about to let her girlfriend dwell on something so silly. More to the point, she didn't want Elsa to even consider the notion that she'd reject the blonde in any way because of something not going according to plan. If Elsa told her to stop, she absolutely would, but until otherwise stated, they were going to keep going. "It's nothing to me."

"I was trying to be romantic." Elsa noted glumly, though she tilted her head to allow her better access to her neck. "Do something... special."

"Hmmm... and you accomplished both." Anna slipped her hand under the blonde's shirt, lightly tracing her fingers over smooth skin while pressing more kisses to her girlfriend's neck. "You effectively reminded me how much I absolutely _adore_ you."

Elsa sighed, breath hitching as the redhead raked her fingernails over a particularly sensitive spot on her hip. "B-by literally choking?"

"By trying." She whispered, taking the wine glass and finishing it, putting it next to the other empty glass. With the inconvenience out of the way, Anna focused on coaxing her lover into lying back on the bed and showering her with some much deserved attention. "I know this isn't easy for you, so I appreciate every effort you make. No matter how they turn out."

The blonde chuckled, arching into Anna's touch and gasping as she traced her ribcage. "Are you saying you wouldn't like me to try again?"

Damnit, the redhead couldn't help but stop as that thought raced through her mind, her penis twitching uncontrollably and throbbing.

"So, you _did_ like it?" Elsa faltered. "Before I stopped, I mean."

Okay, play it cool, play it cool, don't sound too eager-

"It felt fucking fantastic," Anna replied, immediately cringing. Thinking with the wrong head again, damnit, make a save, make a save! "I mean, yes, I, uh, liked it. It was good."

Smooth recovery, knucklehead.

That time, her girlfriend laughed, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Good... because I want a second chance."

She _really_ wished she could find it in her to be a bit more objective about the whole thing. However, as it very painfully, obviously, _literally stood_ , she _wanted_ Elsa way too much to talk the other woman out of it. To talk _herself_ out of it.

That didn't mean she was a slave to that desire, though, and her libido had another thing coming if it thought she would be submit that easily.

"Only if _you_ want to try. Just, don't go as deep this time, okay?" Pushing through the cloud of arousal, Anna pressed a soft kiss to her girlfriend's lips. Not hungry, not lustful, just out of adoration, love, the things that _mattered_. "I don't like you being uncomfortable just for my sake. If you don't want to, that's okay, too; I mean it, Elsa."

Her girlfriend sighed, a smile on her lips. "You're too good for me."

She shook her head. "I heartily disagree; it's definitely the other way around."

They shared another soft kiss before the blonde shuffled clear off the bed, kneeling on the floor as Anna repositioned herself on the edge, trying her best to help. She told the blonde to wrap a hand around her member- no, not _just_ because she really liked having her girlfriend touch her, there were other reasons. She couldn't really articulate them at the moment, but they existed! Thinking was, again, becoming difficult as a warm, wet tongue circled the head of her penis.

Anna moaned, leaning back on her hands, wishing she'd used their impromptu break to take off her clothes. While the blonde's touch always had an immediate- and, perhaps, slightly embarrassing, if only for how quickly it happened- effect on her, this newest step in their relationship was somehow infinitely better than anything before. She could already feel the fire burning in the pit of her stomach as Elsa began bobbing her head in time with small movements from her hand.

Okay, so if the first attempt was fantastic, this time was... just... words failed her. Anna couldn't even try to contain her sounds of pleasure, fisting her hands in the sheets to have something to hold onto as her girlfriend worked her up. Despite the mush she'd been reduced to, the redhead somehow managed to maintain the presence of mind _not_ to put her hand on the blonde's head or buck her hips, even when Elsa did _something_ that felt even better than before, wrestling a choked moan from her as her arms grew weak.

Suddenly, Anna understood why most people were so obsessed with sex. _This was amazing_.

Just as suddenly, Elsa's warmth left and she couldn't restrain the pitiful whine that emitted from deep within her throat, cracking her eyes open as the blonde ripped off her shirt and threw it somewhere behind her before returning to her task.

And... what little mush remained fizzled out at seeing Elsa kneeling between her legs, the black lace of her bra accentuating pale skin, plump lips swollen from kissing wrapped around her erection, and those beautiful blue eyes looking _up at her_ through thick black lashes.

" _Elsa_." She couldn't help it, reaching forward to tangle her fingers into blonde locks, fighting against her impulse to fist her hand and pull. Instead, she just rested her hand there, earning a moan of either encouragement or appreciation from her lover; she was too far gone to be capable of telling the difference. Especially with how the sound seemed to vibrate in Elsa's mouth and through her member, her impending release impossible to stop. " _Elsa_!"

She tried pushing again, tried warning her girlfriend of her rapidly approaching orgasm, but the blonde stubbornly refused, instead gripping her length tighter and _sucking_ , which essentially catapulted Anna straight off the edge into welcoming oblivion. A long groan tore from her throat as she climaxed, highly aware that the warmth of her girlfriend's mouth didn't recede from her pulsing member.

When she could finally muster the focus to do so, Anna looked down, watching in muted awe as Elsa kissed the head of her rapidly softening penis and smiled.

"I take it that was much better?"

"I love you," Anna replied, not mentally present enough to even fathom giving any form of critique, and reached forward, eager to feel her girlfriend's body against hers. Not lustfully, mind, because that was probably the most intense orgasm of her very short sex life, so there was no way she'd be entertaining the thought of a round two any time soon, but because she _really_ wanted to cuddle.

Get naked, then cuddle, there was an order to these things, but first she needed to keep the blonde from absconding, which she seemed quite intent on doing, slipping away with a grin.

"I love you, too, Sunshine, and I'll be right back." Elsa got up, turning towards the bathroom. "I'm just going to rinse my mouth- oof!"

There were probably better ways of pleading for her girlfriend to stay but, for whatever reason, the redhead decided tackling her to the floor was the best one given the situation. Thankfully, the bedroom carpet with very plush and Anna had broken their fall a bit by more-or-less tripping the blonde rather than out right football tackling her. Still, when Elsa rolled over with every intention of glaring at her, the redhead wasted no time in crawling up her body and pressing soft kisses to every inch of exposed skin on the way.

"Sunshine, what are you-" Elsa cut off, giggling as she reached a ticklish spot on her abdomen and blew a small raspberry on the skin there. "Really?"

"You are not leaving my sight until I get my turn," Anna said, miraculously regaining the power of speech enough to peer up at her girlfriend over the impressive obstacle of the blonde's bra-clad breasts.

Elsa quirked a brow. "It will only take a minute."

"That's too long," she replied before continuing on her journey, up through the valley of Elsa's breasts, slipping her tongue beneath the fabric of her bra before continuing on, lightly nipping at the pale column of her throat. However, when she went in for a kiss, her girlfriend turned her head away.

"Anna, I quite literally just had my mouth on your penis." The blonde furrowed her brows. "Doesn't... that bother you?"

She stared at Elsa for all of maybe five seconds. "Nope!"

This time, she leaned in and wasn't denied, and... yeah, okay, maybe it was a little weird, because she could taste something that definitely wasn't the wine, but she really couldn't be motivated to care at the moment. She was kissing her girlfriend and just wanted to be wrapped up in all things Elsa and stay there for a bit of the afterglow, details be damned.

Just for a bit, though, seeing as she still wasn't entirely satisfied and wouldn't be until she got a taste of the blonde beneath her. The thought spurned her into action, breaking away from the blonde's mouth to start trailing back down her body, but Elsa stopped her.

"Oh no, we're not doing this on the floor." The blonde started to sit up, though Anna was reluctant to let her. "I swear I'm not going to run off. Trust me; it'll be more comfortable for both of us on the bed."

Anna momentarily narrowed her eyes in suspicion before getting up. While it shouldn't bother her, the redhead didn't like admitting that Elsa had more experience in these matters. It was stupid to be jealous of _past_ lovers- because they obviously didn't make the cut, so, really, screw them- but there was still a little bit lingering in the back of her mind. If anything, it motivated her, made her want to be better than anyone else, and maybe she did have a bizarre possessive streak that was coming right the hell out of nowhere in regards to her girlfriend. She _loved_ Elsa and didn't want even the shadow of a doubt to pass through the blonde's mind regarding that fact, and she wanted to show her in every conceivable way.

So she helped Elsa up, leading her towards the bed with a smile but stopping just short of the welcoming sheets and focusing on removing the obstacles that stood between them.

Namely, their clothes.

She again started kissing Elsa's neck, allowing her fingers to trail along the lines of the blonde's abdomen, subtle muscles leading to the barrier of her skinny jeans. The button and zipper were no problem and Anna eagerly started tugging the denim down while lavishing her girlfriend's pulse point with teeth and tongue. Elsa moaned pleasantly, tilting her head aside and wrapping her arms around the redhead's shoulders, holding her gently. Unfortunately, Anna had to break away, frustrated that she couldn't get the stupid jeans off without looking. Seriously, why did anyone wear skinny jeans? They made the blonde's legs and butt look _amazing_ , sure, but damn were they inconvenient to take off!

Her girlfriend just chuckled, of course, and helped her, falling back on the bed once they were down around her knees.

Anna kneeled before her, pressing kisses to her knees, her calves, whatever was in reach as she pulled the denim away, trailing her lips and fingertips along the inside of Elsa's thighs as she rose to hover over the blonde. She briefly debated whether she should take off her clothes or not, seeing as it really didn't matter and she didn't want to put this off for another second no matter how hot she might get, but Elsa made the decision for her, tugging at her shirt and biting her lip in a way that the redhead absolutely adored.

Crawling up onto the bed, Anna straddled her girlfriend hips and slowly pulled her shirt up, inch by inch, reveling in the way Elsa watched through half-lidded eyes and dug her fingernails into the fabric of her pants. When she pulled her shirt up enough to reveal her bra-clad breasts, the redhead abandoned her task to lean down for another kiss, smiling at the whine she heard.

"You're teasing me." Elsa accused, squirming slightly as Anna kept her body hovering above without touching her girlfriend's.

"Maybe I'm paying you back." She chuckled, humming when the blonde reached up and started fiddling with her bra, trying to remove the thing while her shirt was still partially in the way. Taking mercy on her beloved girlfriend, Anna righted herself and pulled her shirt over her head, discarding it and her bra swiftly following. Elsa sat up almost instantly, intent on familiarizing herself with the redhead's chest. The new position drew her attention to the blonde's stomach lightly brushing against her flaccid member- oh, right, that was... just... kinda hanging around... awkward- and she quickly moved away. The _last_ thing she wanted was a raging hard-on trying to distract her from giving Elsa some well-deserved attention.

Shucking her pants and underwear, Anna encouraged Elsa to move back and get comfortable on their bed, settling herself on her stomach between the blonde's legs once Elsa found a spot she liked. She was caught between rushing to the main event and taking her time, wishing to draw out the blonde's ecstasy but recognizing that she stood a pretty high chance of getting excited again, which she _really_ didn't want spoiling the legitimate highlight of her life to this point.

So she shoved it to the back of her mind and pressed her lips to the blonde's stomach, littering the smooth skin with soft kisses as she reached up to undo her bra. Either in preparation for the night or through luck, Elsa had chosen one that clasped in the front, making it easy for Anna to brush the garment away and lightly grope her breasts, earning a pleased moan for her efforts. However, she could tell the blonde was becoming impatient, hips rolling every time Anna pressed a kiss lower than the ones before, inching her way towards the trim of black lace. Inhaling deeply, the redhead caught the faintest traces of Elsa's arousal, groaning as she pressed her tongue flat against the blonde's belly, a prelude of things to come.

"Anna, please!"

So polite, so vocal, it always did strange things to the redhead, hearing the want in her girlfriend's voice, the _need_ in every sound. Not wanting to delay Elsa's pleasure further, Anna propped herself up, peeling the underwear away so she could finally get a good look at the blonde's sex.

It was weird, but she never really had the chance to look previously, considering she was usually preoccupied with Elsa's breasts or neck or mouth; exploration was always something that gradually drifted to the back of her mind, overpowered by the desire the please. The first thing she noticed was how rapidly the scent of her girlfriend's arousal permeated the air, calling to something deep within her. The second thing, of course, being that she was so wet, she was glistening faintly in the low light, and that was amazing. It was the female equivalent of a boner and Elsa had it _because of her_.

"You're beautiful," Anna said, the words slipping from her mouth in a hush as she settled on her stomach again, kissing up her girlfriend's thigh. "Wonderful." A kiss to the blonde curls at the top of her mound. "Loveable." She trailed her tongue along the inside of her other thigh. "Kind." A teasing kiss to the apex of her sex, that little bundle of nerves that had Elsa rolling her hips, asking for me. "Mine."

... Damned possessive streak.

"Yours," Elsa replied, moaning, looking at her with eyes darkened by lust but shining with love.

With some effort, Anna tore her gaze away and set to her task, using a broad swipe of her tongue to gather as much wetness as possible for her first taste. It... wasn't bad, per say- it was different. Like biting into dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate without noticing, rich and powerful and yeah, she could get used to this.

With one hand, she spread the blonde's lower lips apart, licking again, allowing her tongue to trace through Elsa's folds. She traced her entrance, which spasmed and twitched, beckoned her to dip inside, but she abstained for the moment, instead going up to swirl around her clitoris, flicking it lightly.

Elsa moaned, pressing her hips closer to Anna's mouth, thoroughly enjoying the redhead's tongue gliding through her folds and teasing her, drawing her to new heights. Some part of Anna wished she could see what she was doing to the blonde, the expressions playing across her face, but she wasn't too keen on moving from her post anytime soon. Still, she found her eyes either closing as she listened to the moans falling from her girlfriend's lips or open and looking up, trying to catch a glimpse beyond her heaving breasts.

Huh. Now there's an idea.

Surprisingly, she'd never really given Elsa's chest the attention it- or they- rightly deserved, one hand always being occupied much lower on her body. Seeing as she no longer needed to spread the blonde's folds open, Anna reached up, settling Elsa's thighs on her shoulders as she massaged her breasts, rolling her thumbs over erect nipples.

The effect was immediate; her girlfriend writhed, arching her back to push her breasts more firmly into Anna's hands while rolling her hips, using her thighs for leverage, desperate for more. Anna hesitated for a moment, lazily circling Elsa's clit, wondering if dipping her tongue inside the blonde would be okay. Usually, there was some sort of verbal confirmation that she could, but Elsa seemed less inclined to tell her what to do now more than ever, and she found it extremely difficult to break away and pause the momentum she had going for both of them by asking.

She settled for the best she could think of given the circumstances, sliding through Elsa's folds down to her entrance, circling it twice before dipping the tip of her tongue inside.

" _Yes_." The word was hissed through clenched teeth, in Norwegian no less, a hand weaving into her hair and pulling her closer.

She was obviously about to climax and Anna wasted no more time pushing her tongue in deeper, twisting it around, rolling it while her hands became a bit firmer in the way they grasped Elsa's breasts. Her jaw was starting to hurt and she never imagined her tongue could actually get tired, but it was certainly an unusual exercise- not that she was complaining, of course. She would just need more... _practice_ for the actions to feel natural.

The blonde bucked her hips, crying out in ecstasy as she neared the edge. On a hunch, Anna moved back up to her clit, wrapping her lips around it, humming and sucking.

That did it. Elsa came, back arching as her thighs trembled, slightly buffeting Anna's head, though she wasn't very concerned about it. Feeling the blonde come undone in this position was both new and familiar to her and she reveled in riding out her girlfriend's orgasm, tongue dipping into Elsa again to feel the way the muscles fluttered during her climax.

When the blonde finally collapsed on the mattress, it took every ounce of Anna's willpower not to immediately ask when they could try that again.

"Sunshine." Elsa called, coaxing the redhead to crawl up so they could share a kiss. Anna could still feel the wetness coating her lips and chin but her girlfriend seemed equally unimpressed with any objection as she had been with the blonde's argument from before. As usual, their post-orgasm kisses and touches lacked the fire and need form before, lapsing to the side of chaste and affectionate as they cuddled up close, and perfect because of that. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Snowflake." Anna turned on her side, figuring it was a pleasant enough night that they didn't really need to go through all the trouble of getting under the covers, and pulled Elsa into her, back-to-front. Truthfully, she was tired and her body was more than ready to drop right off into the welcoming abyss of sleep. Her head, however, was still buzzing, dredging up thoughts that were best left forgotten and bugging her until she couldn't help but speak.

"I'm guessing you liked that."

"Mm-hmm."

"Which part? Like, uh, which part did you like best? That I could do more or, um, better?"

Elsa had had other partners, had been touched, had experience, and more than once Anna found herself wondering if she was missing something. Something a past lover did that the blonde really liked but hadn't disclosed to save Anna the embarrassment or the jealousy. It was stupid because she would eventually learn, given time and enthusiasm, and she certainly didn't lack the latter, but... well, there it was.

With a chuckle, Elsa sighed. "The 'you' part, Sunshine. That's always the best part."

Smiling so wide her jaw started hurting again, she nuzzled into her girlfriend's neck, holding her close and completely ready to surrender to sleep. Elsa's taste was still heavy on her tongue and she was excited for the next opportunity to come along. Maybe she could do some research into, ah, alternate techniques, or exercises to strengthen her jaw and tongue. It certainly _sounded_ like her girlfriend liked it more than just using her fingers, and she could always add that in, sure.

Unbidden, the thought of how Elsa's inner muscles clenched around her fingers and tongue came to mind, imagining how that same sensation would feel when wrapped around her length. Sliding through slick folds with the most sensitive part of her, delving into her girlfriend's welcoming warmth-

Oh, crap, no, no, no, no!

Elsa tensed briefly before chuckling, turning her head slightly so she could raise a brow at the redhead, smirking. "Someone's up again."

"Thank you for stating the obvious." Anna groaned, hiding her face in blonde locks as her member throbbed, demanding attention. "I'll be right-"

"Oh, no, you're not pulling that card on me." Taking advantage of the distraction her averted blood flow usually spawned, the blonde slipped from her grasp and pushed her onto her back, straddling her stomach in the blink of an eye. "You are _not_ leaving to go 'beat off' in the bathroom."

"Did you just revoke my masturbation privileges?" Anna couldn't help but laugh at the deadly serious look on her girlfriend's face. "On whose authority?"

"On mine." She leaned over the redhead, breasts swaying as her hair fell around her, blue eyes shining. "As the Queen of your heart, I hereby command that you not run away from me when I am perfectly capable and willing to attend to your... _needs_."

Anna gulped, unsure which was more mesmerizing: the look in Elsa's eyes, the way her breasts moved with every word and breath, or the sultry conviction in her voice. It was almost the same tone she used when she was in this-is-my-company mode, but layered with something she couldn't describe. "As my Queen commands."

Elsa smirked, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. "You know... I've always wondered about the whole 'role playing' thing in the bedroom. I think you're a very good actor."

"I'm not acting," Anna replied, craning her neck and lifting herself up enough to plant her lips on the blonde's breastbone, in the center of her chest. "You _are_ the Queen of my heart."

"Oh, Sunshine." Her voice was gentle, pressing a kiss to Anna's forehead before coaxing her back down, kissing her way from the redhead's mouth down towards her erection. "Then my command stands. I'm nothing if not a benevolent ruler."

"Wrong." She grinned. "You're a _sexy_ benevolent ruler."

Elsa laughed, sitting back a bit too far, the redhead's member brushing against her inner thigh and causing her to tense. Anna watched and waited, eyes on the blonde's face. When the tension seemed to mount, the redhead took matters into her own hands, hands on her girlfriend's hips and guiding her, gently, to rest much higher than her original position would place her, requiring Elsa to shuffle forward a bit. The heat from her core was scorching against Anna's belly and her penis was painfully hard but her primary concern was easing Elsa, not the primal needs of her body.

"It's okay, Snowflake. We're not ready yet." The blonde seemed ready to argue but Anna just smiled and shook her head. "Baby steps, remember?" She started rubbing her thumbs in circles across Elsa's hips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Her girlfriend sighed, leaning down to give her a kiss. "You're sure?"

"Positive." No hesitation, no regret.

Elsa gradually relaxed, seeking another kiss that lasted much longer, not born of regret or sorrow but absolute adoration. Finally, the intimate mood returned, the blonde still quite eager to assist. Words stopped being their method of communication after that.

They... didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning, thankfully, was a late one, allowing both of them to sleep in though Elsa, predictably, was the first to wake. Without the aid of an alarm, sleep was one of those indulgences Anna greedily partook without a care, cringing when the late morning light slipped through the curtains and roused her. She flipped over, shielding herself from the light and nearly ready to drop off back into sleep, but she was missing something very important.

Her girlfriend.

Scrubbing the sleep from her eyes, Anna got up, stifling a yawn as she rummaged through her dresser for some underwear and shorts, throwing a shirt on as she walked out of the bedroom. Elsa was sitting at the dining room table, absently rubbing at her neck while nursing a cup of coffee, the heavy smell wafting from the fresh pot in the kitchen. Smiling, the redhead came up behind her and started massaging her neck, her girlfriend instantly relaxing under her touch.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Elsa said, taking a sip from her cup.

"Morning, Snowflake." She leaned down, brushing a kiss against the blonde's cheek as she worked the stiff muscles beneath her fingers. "Is this from stress? Or...?"

"Last night." She reluctantly admitted, leaning her head back to look up at the redhead. "It's nothing, really. Just a twinge."

"Uh huh." Anna was skeptical but relented at the look shining in those blue eyes. "I guess I kinda know what you mean. My jaw's a little sore."

"Oh? Perhaps I could help." There was that little twinkle again, the hint of mischief that she would gladly follow into the unknown.

"I'm sure you could, _but_ I'm not sure if I could handle it." She admitted, putting a bit more pressure into a particular stubborn knot and pulling a moan from the other woman. "Feels good?"

"Amazing."

Anna smiled, sneaking another kiss in as she felt the knot finally loosen, the blonde relaxing under her hands. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you, Sunshine." Elsa turned her head, this time seeking a kiss on her lips that lasted a little longer than was entirely innocent. While it did occur to her that her jaw _was_ still a bit sore, she really wasn't of a mind to complain. When their lips parted, Anna had somehow wound up sitting in the blonde's lap, and was really in no mood to move. "So, have you given any thought to our anniversary?"

"Only every third thought," she replied, draping an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders.

"Oh? And what are the other two-thirds?"

"Well, one third's the anniversary, one third is you, and the other third is chocolate." Anna paused, then shrugged. "Or food, but mostly chocolate."

Elsa shook her head and laughed. They spent the rest of their morning talking about ideas for the special day.

* * *

Anna stepped into the apartment with a wide smile on her face despite still being a little out of breath, slipping her book bag from her shoulder as she closed the door behind her. It was less than a week away from their anniversary and today was the day they'd set aside for finalizing the plans for it, once the redhead was finished with her morning classes. So, of course, anticipation made those hours drag on far longer than usual and keeping her focus on the material was nearly a herculean feat in and of itself.

"Elsa!" She called out, heading into the study to deposit her bag and maybe get her homework out and in order before getting down to details with the blonde. "Snowflake?"

The door to their study was closed and the redhead opened it with only a little hesitation. What she found brought a small smile to her lips: slumped in her seat with her head resting on folded arms was her beloved girlfriend, apparently asleep. Beside her was the open music box Anna had given her for her birthday, the tune long since stopped, and her computer screen had even kicked off. While Anna was aware that the blonde had pulled more than one overnight shift the past few weeks due to some sort of scheduling conflict, she hadn't realized her girlfriend was _that_ exhausted. Some part of her was tempted to leave Elsa as she was but, given the uncomfortable looking angle of her neck, the redhead decided that moving her to the bed was a better option. A little afternoon nap never hurt, especially when life was just piling on the stress.

Setting her book bag by her desk, Anna carefully pulled the blonde's chair back, earning a mumbled complaint from her girlfriend as she shifted the other woman into her arms. Of course, as completely out of it as Elsa was, she couldn't really help any, so the redhead was left to awkwardly position her girlfriend as best she could, careful not to bump her head against the walls or doors as she made her way to their bedroom. Elsa was by no means _light_ but Anna had half carried, half dragged a drunk Kristoff home more than once, so it was easy in comparison, though she worried the other woman was lighter than she had any right to be. Whenever she woke up, they were going to have a serious talk about the blonde's diet; an increase in work hours didn't mean she could get away with skipping meals.

Trying to be as gentle as possible, Anna lowered her girlfriend onto their bed, preparing to pull away as arms snaked around her neck. She tried to pry them away but Elsa- even in her unconscious state- was having none of it, twisting her body and throwing the redhead off balance. Again, in an effort not to wake her, Anna scrambled to keep herself from landing on the other woman, ending up rolling onto her back as Elsa, somehow, settled halfway on top of her, nuzzling into her chest with one arm automatically wrapping around her waist.

In a blink of an eye, she was trapped between her hope to allow the blonde to rest and her desire to move, unable to connect the dots between 'put girlfriend in bed' to 'become girlfriend's body pillow' despite it having _just_ happened. Seriously, how did Elsa do that? While asleep, no less?

Anna shifted, checking to see if she could manage to wriggle away, but Elsa's hold tightened, decreasing her desire to leave the embrace. It wasn't the most comfortable position by any means with Elsa's arm trapped under her neck but she could live with it. Glancing down, the redhead felt a soft smile tug at her lips as she stared at her girlfriend's peaceful expression, running a hand gently along the other woman's arm. She wasn't exactly tired, so drifting off for an afternoon nap didn't seem too likely but it wasn't like she had anywhere to be; she could just stay here for a few hours. No big deal.

Biting her lips, Anna gently reached out and brushed Elsa's bangs back, tucking the locks behind her ear. She couldn't quite crane her neck enough to press a kiss to her girlfriend's forehead, though, so she just softly hummed the tune of some new pop song she'd noticed the blonde liked. When she finally fell silent a few minutes later, the blonde turned her head and pressed a kiss to Anna's cheek out of habit.

Except, she usually only did that after they finished watching a movie or something of the like.

Anna blinked. "You're awake, aren't you?"

"Yes," her girlfriend replied, the words slightly mumbled again her chest.

Rolling her eyes, she continued. "Are you going to let me up?"

"No."

She couldn't help but chuckle, noting the smile curling Elsa's lips before shifting. Although initially reluctant to allow movement of any sort, the blonde relented when she made it clear they were only repositioning, allowing Anna to get more comfortable as her girlfriend settled more of her weight against her.

"Sorry I woke you up. How's your neck?"

"Don't apologize," Elsa replied, her words interrupted by a yawn. "Woke up when we passed the kitchen. It's s'alright."

She could tell her beloved was drifting off again and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Sleep, Snowflake. I'll be right here when you wake up."

There might've been a mumbled thanks before the blonde was sound asleep but Anna didn't mind, spending the sudden detour studying Elsa's sleeping form, daydreaming about half a dozen possible futures and finding herself utterly content.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so, next chapter? No smut... but have your insulin ready. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : So, don't own shit. Seriously, have your insulin ready; no sexy times but _a lot_ of fluff ahead. Except this first bit here; that's just me trolling the fuck out of Anna.

* * *

Anna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could do this, totally, no sweat, piece of cake, and she didn't doubt that one bit... but it terrified her to no end. There just _had_ to be a steep downside to this plan that she entirely forgot to account for and she would smack herself for it later. Still, it was the best plan she had at the moment so, with only the slightest bit of hesitation, she rang the doorbell and waited for Eugene to answer the door.

There was probably a hundred different ways to do this but- for the life of her- she thought this was the best one. Although they hadn't gone farther as of yet, Elsa was definitely becoming more comfortable with Anna's body and revealing a rather voracious appetite for intimacy between them. She wasn't complaining, of course, but it had her... concerned, just a bit. Eventually, the blonde would probably want to take things to the next level, and Anna had only the vaguest concept of what that would entail on her part. She certainly didn't have the faintest idea of how to make it _good_ \- for Elsa's sake, of course, because she had virtually no doubt it would be good for her no matter what. It would probably be mind-breaking amazing and she would need help remembering how to be a functional human being after. But the last two times, Elsa had caught her by surprise and she had to learn as she went. They turned out alright, for a first try, but subsequent performances taught her a lot about paying attention to the blonde's body, about doing _better_ than the time before, and her girlfriend definitely enjoyed the refined touch. It stood to reason that, if she just waited it out and was surprised again, their first time fully _together_ wouldn't be as good as Elsa deserved.

She could always go to her parents but... no. No, she wasn't about to open that door; her mother would never let her hear the end of it and her father would probably go into way too much detail than she was entirely comfortable hearing. Heck, given who she was talking about, they'd probably offer to demonstrate and no, no, she was not going down this road, no.

There was Kristoff, though his sexual experience rivaled her own. He would probably at least have a better idea than she would. Sven was out, seeing as he really didn't _do_ relationships.

So, that really just left her with Eugene as her most sexually competent, sympathetic ear and she swore that if he turned this into more joke fodder, she would never forgive him.

When the door opened, Anna nearly chickened out entirely, offering the man a nervous smile. "H-hey Eugene."

"Anna? I didn't know you were dropping by!" He stepped aside. "Come on in! Have you even been over for something other than a party?"

"I honestly think this is the first time I've been here while the sun's still up." Anna laughed, heading inside and taking a seat on the couch.

"Well, what's up? You usually don't drop by unannounced. And without your girlfriend."

Anna bit her lip. The only way she was going to get through this was to be blunt and direct. "That's... actually, kinda, maybe, sort of related to why I'm here. In a way." Okay... she could do better than that. "What I mean, I guess-"

"Say no more, my friend." Eugene got up, making a show of popping his knuckles and wiggling his fingers. "You've come to the master for assistance and assist you I shall. Just give me _one_ little moment to assemble the appropriate tools."

And with that, he left the room and Anna, completely dumbfounded, while he presumably retreated to his room. The redhead was in the process of determining whether he was psychic or she just had an unnatural knack for non-verbal communication when she was nervous when he returned, carrying a stack of DVDs in one hand and...

Her face turned the shade of her hair as her jaw fell open, one hundred percent certain of what she was looking at and not one bit amused but it.

"Our core curriculum will consist of visual learning." He nodded towards the DVDs and then towards the life sized blow up doll under the other arm. "And practical demonstration."

"Oh _hell_ no!" Anna shot to her feet, fully prepared to bolt when her friend dropped what he was carrying and busted out laughing. "EUGENE!"

"I- oh geez- c'mon- I- I- one minute, shit!" he somehow managed between laughs, rolling around on the ground and testing the limits of Anna's patience. When he finally got himself under control, Eugene sat up, wiping tears from his eyes. "I couldn't resist. Ever since Punzie spilled the beans, I've been _praying_ you would stop by alone. This was just a golden opportunity!"

"And what does Rapunzel have to do with this?" The redhead groused, sitting back down and crossing her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the heated flush lighting up her cheeks.

"Elsa didn't tell you?" Eugene raised a brow, resting his chin on the armrest of the couch and looking as innocent as he possibly could. "Remember when you let all of us in on your secret? Yeah, while we were playing games, they went off on their own and had, like, a girly heart-to-heart talk thing."

Anna bit her lip, somewhat concerned. "What did they- I mean, um, is- was everything okay? Like... do I need to... be concerned?"

"What?" Eugene's face screwed up, clearly confused, but smoothed out a moment later as he jumped up and onto the couch, somehow landing with his legs crossed and waving off the redhead's concerns. "Hey, Feisty Pants, slow your roll. Your girl is crazy about you; no doubts there. She was just asking for advice, just like I assume you're here to do."

"Advice?" She blinked. "Wait. You mean about... sex?" Eugene nodded. "Elsa asked Rapunzel for tips about sex."

"Yes. Which part of this is confusing for you?"

"The part where I didn't even think about it," she replied, scratching her head. Sure, it made sense in hindsight, but it hadn't even occurred to her at the time. "But... yeah, I guess it makes sense. I'm here for the same thing. Um. I think?" She blinked. "Wait, was the pickle thing-"

"Oh you poor, unfortunate soul, you _saw_ her doing that?" Eugene laughed, lightly shoving her shoulder when her reaction gave him his answer. "It's okay, threw me for a loop, too, when I accidentally caught Punzie. Nearly creamed your pants, didn't you?"

"Shut up." Anna pressed back into the couch, wishing it would swallow her whole. "The banana was _way_ worse."

After a few minutes of suffering through more of her friend's amusement and feeling slightly better that she wasn't the alone in the dark anymore, they finally got around to talking about sex- or, rather, Anna stuttering through questions while her face burned and Eugene answering like they were discussing the weather. It took nearly twenty minutes for her to relax, attention shifting from her embarrassment to listening to the tips her friend provided. Primarily, she was concerned with making sure Elsa was going to... enjoy herself during their first time.

At length, Eugene frowned. "I hate to put it like this, Feisty Pants, but she probably won't orgasm the first few times, no matter what preparations you make."

"Isn't there _something_ I can do?" Anna pouted, running a hand through her hair.

"It's not about what you can do, Anna. It's about what you'll remember in the heat of the moment." He shrugged. "Come on, can you honestly say you were capable of thinking the first time she gave you a blowjob?"

The redhead scrunched her nose. "Can you not make it sound so... dirty?"

He favored her with a flat look before straightening his back and extending his pinky, adopting an obnoxious English accent that was also god-awful. "Forgive me, dear, I merely mean to inquire as to whether you were capable of rational thought while her mouth was on your penis, performing the act of fellatio."

"Okay. I am going to kindly ask you to never, ever, under any circumstances do that again. Any of it." Anna groaned. "I'm going to need brain bleach after this, I swear."

Dropping the act, he raised a brow at her. "Look, I think you're overreacting. Punzie and I talk about sex, like, _a lot_ -"

"And you're an absolute lecher-"

"But _she_ isn't!" He objected. "I'm the way I am because that's me; if you and Elsa sat down and just, ya know, _talked about this shit_ , it might make you feel a lot better about it. At least you could confirm you're both on the same page. Maybe she's more concerned with getting your rocks off and won't appreciate having you interfere with that."

The redhead sighed, scratching behind her ear. She didn't want to admit it to Eugene but, well, _not_ talking about their sex life definitely hadn't done either of them any favors in the past, so maybe he had a point there.

"Look, at the end of it all, you're probably not going to remember your first time ten years down the road. It's a starting point, ya know, everyone's gotta have one. Hell, I don't remember losing my virginity." He cocked his head to the side. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure who I was with at the time... but, well, I guess that might be because I'm a dude. I mean, I remember my first time with Punzie but that was... different." Eugene shrugged, giving her a lopsided grin. "That doesn't matter anyway, really, because everyone's first time is some degree of horrible. You get better as you go, as you communicate."

"So, what you're basically saying is that I just have to wing it once we, um, actually get going?"

"Basically? Yeah." Eugene scratched his goatee. "Well... there's a few things I can think of that might help."

As they got into the details, the young man was kind enough to curb his rather colorful descriptions to a slightly more academic approach for Anna's sake. It still felt weird talking about sex so openly but the redhead was able to move past it, reminding herself that this wasn't just a passing conversation but an actual attempt at _learning_ something she'd abandoned some time ago.

They pointedly ignored the blow up doll for the rest of the visit.

Eugene would probably tell but Anna sure as hell didn't want to know.

* * *

When she left Eugene's, Anna was a lot more comfortable with the idea of talking to Elsa about the direction their sex life was heading and even somewhat at ease with her own inexperience. At the very least, her friend had somewhat prepared her for what to expect and how to make things easier for her girlfriend, which was all she could really hope for at this point. She was even a little confident that she wouldn't eventually regret asking Eugene for help.

Getting up the courage to talk to Elsa, however, proved to be a tad bit more difficult than going to Eugene. Mainly because she struggled with trying to word what she wanted to say without making it sound like she _wanted_ to take things to the next level- even though she did and it was getting harder to not feel like maybe she should be completely honest with the blonde- because she, as always, didn't want to push.

"Sunshine?" Anna blinked, looking up to see that Elsa was watching her, brows pinched in concern. "Is everything alright?"

She could broach the subject now, while they were eating dinner. Be casual about it. The way Eugene was.

But she wasn't Eugene.

The redhead smiled, reaching over to press a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. "Yeah. Sorry, I just zoned out for a minute- I think I dropped off when you started talking about that new chick. Amy?"

"Ariel." Elsa gently corrected, smirking. "Is someone jealous?"

"No, I trust you." Anna waved her fork in the air. "But if she starts calling you 'Snowflake', we might have an issue."

They both laughed, the conversation returning to regular topics, though the blonde took a moment to tease her a little bit more. Apparently, this Ariel woman was also a redhead, and while Anna wasn't exactly thrilled with that bit of information, she really wasn't worried, per say. In fact, she took the opportunity to tease Elsa back, suggesting that maybe the blonde would benefit from a change of pace. That idea was instantly shot down, prompting Anna to sit back and smother her amusement as she listened to her girlfriend's rant about fidelity- apparently it also tied back into _CotL_ , or so Elsa said, which left Anna pleasantly confused when the blonde trailed off abruptly and went back to eating the meal.

With their anniversary was right around the corner, Anna decided to not broach the topic of their sex life just yet. She'd bring it up after they'd passed the milestone; she didn't want anything marring the special day.

* * *

Finally, the big day arrived. The previous two weeks involved nearly pushing herself to the breaking point just to have the day completely free, busting her butt to get her assignments out of the way, and spending every spare minute working for some extra cash, but it was going to be _so_ worth it. They'd agreed on one surprise each for the day but had planned everything else together and it was tough to say which she was looking forward to more.

The moment her alarm went off, Anna was wide awake and ready to start the day while simultaneously hoping it would pass slowly.

"Come on! Let's get ready!" She called out, untangling herself from the sheets and heading straight to her dresser. When she didn't get a response, she glanced over her shoulder to see her girlfriend, who was still in bed. "Snowflake? Hello?"

Nothing.

Pouting, the redhead abandoned her search for clothes to slide back onto the mattress, shaking Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa?"

Beating down the panic rising in her chest, Anna checked to make sure the blonde was breathing- check- had a pulse- check- and was a normal temperature- check, so she was at least okay.

She was about to be _not_ okay if she kept up these shenanigans, though.

The blonde mumbled something but didn't get up, prompting the redhead to glower at her.

"Snowflake, this is _not_ funny. Wake up."

"No."

Anna blinked.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" Silence. "I _will_ resort to cruel and unusual measures to get an answer from you." More silence. "Alright, here I go!"

She could've resorted to tickling. Raspberries on the blonde's tummy. Biting or pinching, something along those lines. Instead, Anna slid back under the covers, wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's waist, and peppered kisses on her shoulder.

"I would hardly classify this as a 'cruel and unusual measure', Sunshine." Elsa mumbled, turning her head slightly and smiling as Anna kissed her lips.

"Well, it's not really worth getting ready without you, so why not stay in bed a little longer? Besides," she said, pressing another kiss to the side of Elsa's mouth, slipping her hands to the blonde's sides as she turned over so they were face-to-face. "It all comes down to three little words."

"Oh? And what would those be?"

Anna shifted, pressing another kiss just below the blonde's ear before whispering: "False sense of security."

Immediately, the redhead dug her fingers into her girlfriend's sides, blowing a sloppy raspberry on her neck as Elsa laughed and squirmed, unable to escape. Anna kept up her attack, careful that she wasn't actually hurting the blonde, except for perhaps a bit of oxygen deprivation. She eventually relented, laughing with Elsa as she caught her breath.

"Liar." The blonde eventually managed. "That was four words."

"'Of' doesn't count," Anna replied, chuckling and pressing another kiss to her shoulder. "Now, what's with the lazy bit, huh? Did you change your mind?"

Elsa looked at her for a moment, absolutely breathless and stunning in the morning light, a light flush in her cheeks from being tickled. "If I said yes, what would you do?"

"Stay here with you." She shrugged, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Kinda silly going out on an anniversary date without you."

"So we'd just... stay here in bed?"

"Well, we could move to the couch, if you'd like a change of scenery." She scrunched up her nose. "I don't really recommend it, though. It's not as comfy." Her expression smoothed out. "Have I _not_ made it emphatically clear that I really enjoy cuddle time? Because I do. A lot."

Anna smiled as she got another laugh from the blonde, tilting her head slightly. It was weird, because the blonde was rarely reluctant about anything, especially for no apparent reason, but she didn't seem even the slightest bit sincere about abandoning their plans for the day either. Regardless, she wouldn't be _too_ disappointed if they opted to spend the day lounging in bed. It was, after all, a celebration of their relationship, so there was little reason to get upset over a change of plans, as long as they were together.

"How about five more minutes, then?" Elsa rolled over and cuddled into her chest, the words soft but not from fatigue like the blonde's reluctance to get up would imply.

Anna frowned momentarily before enveloping the other woman as best she could. It wasn't often the blonde feigned anything but, then again, there was a lot of meaning riding on this particular day. Neither of them had _real_ long term relationships before each other, so it was just one of the many first they'd get to experience together. Maybe it was a little bit like Valentine's Day, where whatever surprise Elsa had planned toed the line of what she considered 'appropriate' and was worried about the reaction she would receive.

Pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's temple, Anna allowed herself to simply enjoy the feel of Elsa in her arms. Whatever it was, she'd find out soon enough, and they'd get through it, just like everything else.

More than likely, Elsa was stressing over nothing.

* * *

Whether or not the blonde had a reason to be fidgety- which she was, increasingly so as the day wore on- Anna was at least accomplishing her mission of making the day as stress free as possible.

As long as they were in the moment, they enjoyed themselves, be it sharing a chocolate muffin over hot chocolate in the corner coffee shop they had their first 'date', ice skating at the Parks mall, or having lunch at Tony's. Whenever one activity ended, though, and they were moving on to the next, Elsa got nervous again. Finally, as they hopped back into the car after finishing their meal, Anna took a moment to reach over and gently squeeze her girlfriend's hand.

"Hey, Elsa." She smiled, waiting for the blonde to acknowledge her before continuing. "Whatever's going on in your head? Don't worry about it. It'll turn out fine, I promise."

The blonde chuckled, squeezing her hand in turn. "You don't know what I'm thinking, Anna. How can you make a promise like that?"

"Because I know I love you and that's all that matters."

"What if I'm trying to figure out how to tell you I'm Batgirl?"

"Then I'll just have to reveal that I'm Supergirl and try not to be jealous." Anna blinked, briefly wondering if she got her superheroes mixed up. Comics fell more into book territory than movies, though Hollywood seemed dead set on changing that. "Wait-"

"No, I think you got it right." Elsa laughed, wearing the smile that usually meant the redhead wasn't exactly correct in whatever reference she was going for.

She probably should've paid more attention when her girlfriend went off on that rant about the Justice League movie coming out in two years but instead shrugged, starting the car and heading towards the movie theater.

Unfortunately, there weren't any movies playing that either woman was particularly interested in but _watching_ the movie wasn't exactly the plan anyway. In hindsight, this was probably what had the blonde so worked up in the first place, if Anna were to guess.

They got two tickets for some action flick that bombed during the first two weeks at the box office, forgoing the snack bar in favor of heading to the movie's auditorium. It was blessedly empty, so they chose seats at the very top and hoped their luck would last. They weren't quite as lucky as they would've liked, seeing as a few other people came in and sat down by the front rows, but when the lights began to dim, they were still relatively confident they wouldn't disturb anyone.

They gave it a few minutes after the title screen for the soundtrack and explosions to start up- apparently, this particular director was a huge fan of them, and it was mentioned in every review of the film that hardly any hint of a plot could be discerned over the sound of something blowing up- before Elsa was flipping up the arm rest, moving out of her seat, and straddling Anna's lap.

The redhead had no idea what possessed them to want to do this. Making out in the back of a dark movie theatre seemed like such a silly thing to do on an anniversary date but, when they realized there weren't any movies out that they wanted to see, it seemed like a completely logical alternative. Neither of them had ever done it before, so, yeah, why not?

Regardless if it was an activity more suited to teenagers in high school than grown adults, Anna couldn't feel the least bit embarrassed the moment Elsa's lips met hers, hands settling on her girlfriend's waist as Elsa cupped her face. She'd certainly never had the opportunity to even attempt something like this in her younger years, so the excitement of something _new_ just added to the natural arousal the blonde's touch summoned, drawing a moan from her all too easily.

Elsa broke their kiss, leaving a wet trail up to her ear and speaking in a low, husky voice: "You lose."

Damnit, she really thought the blonde wasn't being serious about that 'being quiet' bet.

Oh well.

"I surrender," she replied instantly, whimpering when her girlfriend ground their hips together. She was already starting to get hard and, while it didn't automatically make her want to withdraw from the contact, she _really_ didn't want to give herself any ideas. Or Elsa, for that matter. "Please, just kiss me again."

Elsa chuckled but complied, their lips meeting once more as their bodies pressed together. Her girlfriend took pity on her, not resting her full weight against Anna's lap, but her arousal climbed regardless, hands roaming the longer their make-out session lasted. She could still taste the wine on the blonde's tongue from lunch and it called back the memory of their first time tasting each other and _wow_ wasn't that a hot little daydream, oral sex in the back of a theatre.

She was letting her imagination run wild and getting ahead of herself.

Mentally groaning at her brilliant word choice, she groaned aloud when Elsa slipped a hand under her shirt and lightly scratched along her stomach in a downwards motion.

Shoving thoughts of what they _could_ do to the back of her mind for the moment, Anna focused all her attention on making her girlfriend moan and writhe in her arms, their make-out lasting for a solid hour before they broke apart. With only about twenty five minutes left in the movie, they had to give themselves enough time to calm down and look at least somewhat presentable before leaving the theatre, so they just snuggled up close and caught their breath, pretending to watch the remainder of the film.

The redhead was still sporting a raging hard-on but it was slowly dying down, right up until she felt Elsa tracing her bulge, fingernails lightly raking over the denim of her jeans.

"I could take care of you." Elsa's voice was in her ear and the offer was oh so tempting. She could feel her body responding to the suggestion but clamped down on her impulses, instead shifting in her seat. There was one big problem with the suggestion: the blonde was wearing a _very_ nice pair of skinny jeans. It was a problem double-fold seeing as the dirty theatre floor might stain them _and_ they were nearly impossible to peel the blonde out of in the best of situations.

Which, honestly, bothered her more than the floor thing. "But I can't return the favor."

"That's fine." The blonde tried to reassure her but she refused to listen, tugging at Elsa's arm instead. Of course, her girlfriend took the action as a green light and began sliding out of her seat and towards the floor. Anna intercepted her, pulling Elsa into her lap, sideways as opposed to straddling her as she had before. "What-?"

"You're not getting down on that floor, Snowflake," she said, pressing her lips to the blonde's throat. "Just hold me. Please?"

Her girlfriend seemed confused for a moment before settling herself comfortably, wrapping an arm around the redhead's shoulders and pressing her lips against crimson locks. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to figure you out, Sunshine."

"What do you mean?" She frowned, looping her arms around Elsa's waist.

"It's just... if you have an erection, doesn't that mean you want to have sex?" Elsa reached up and fiddled with her braid nervously. "That's my understanding, anyway, but half the time, you... don't want to and it's just confusing for me." She shook her head, muttering almost to herself. "I shouldn't even be bringing this up right now."

Anna sighed, lips twitching into a small grin as she pressed a kiss to Elsa's jaw. "Elsa, it's okay. We should be able to talk to each other about this sort of stuff." She shifted her hips, rather pointedly grinding her hardened member against the underside of the blonde's thigh. "Remember what I said about there being a difference between love and sex? Sometimes, the former overpowers the latter; I want what your heart offers more than what your body does." Nuzzling into Elsa's chest, the redhead tightened her hold around her girlfriend. "Right now, I _do_ really like the idea of you... um... doing... _that_ \- but, it doesn't look very comfortable or entirely sanitary for you, and I don't like not being able to, uh, return the favor. So, I'd rather just hold you, kiss you, and love you."

She could feel her girlfriend relax slightly, cupping Anna's cheek. "That's exactly it, the part I don't think I can ever really wrap my mind around. How, out of all the people in the world, I found the single kindest, sweetest, most loving person on the face of the planet. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

The redhead chuckled. "I think we've been over this before."

"Then maybe it's one of those things I'll just never understand." Elsa pressed a kiss to her hair again and Anna thought she felt a drop of wetness fall shortly after. Before she had a chance to question her girlfriend, she continued in a low voice, switching to Norwegian for the first time in a while. " _I'm so lucky to have met you, Anna. I love you._ "

" _I love you, too, Elsa._ " She nuzzled into the blonde's chest a bit further, smiling as she tuned out whatever was going on in the movie and focused instead of the slightly unsteady beating of Elsa's heart as it slowly evened out. " _And I'm the luckier one._ "

They stayed like that, cuddled up together, and Anna was so wrapped up in listening to Elsa's heartbeat and breathing that she completely missed the movie drawing to a close until the lights came on and an usher began walking through the aisles. He looked at them a bit oddly, as if he was genuinely surprised, but didn't give them any grief as they left, hands intertwined.

After surreptitiously checking their reflections in the floor-to-ceiling glass windows at the front of the theatre, Anna decided there was nothing amiss with their appearances and the usher probably didn't expect anyone to stick around after the credits.

"So, next is dinner, right?" Elsa snuck another kiss to her cheek as they made their way out into the parking lot, the sun just beginning to inch towards the horizon.

"After a nice bubble bath, yup!" Anna beamed. "Don't think I forgot about that!"

"Of course not. I've been looking forward to it." The blonde paused. "Then again, I've been looking forward to everything we've done so far, too, so maybe that's not saying much."

"Or maybe it says everything." She laughed, accepting another kiss before they got going.

* * *

Their bath was, in a word, _amazing_. It was a million other things, too, of course- intimate, relaxing, adorable- but amazing summed it up pretty well. Definitely something they'd revisit at a later date.

"Ready to go?" Anna glanced up from her tie, a smile coming to her lips instantly as Elsa stepped out of the bathroom wearing the stunning blue dress from their Valentine's Day date; they'd decided to redo the date 'the right way' by actually going to Tiana's this time, so they were wearing the same outfits. Elsa's was still highly effective at turning the redhead into a malleable puddle of goo, though she recovered quicker this time around.

"Almost. You?"

"Same." The blonde went to the closet, retrieving her heels and sitting on the bed to put them on, Anna watching every movement with awe.

It still blew her mind, to some extent, how much she'd learned about the blonde since Elsa essentially forced her way back into Anna's life. How the woman wearing such a flattering, beautiful, formal dress was the same woman she'd met in the bookstore a year ago, with holes in her jeans and a torn shirt. How on earth had _Anna_ managed to catch her attention? Maybe it was Elsa's comment earlier but it still struck _her_ a bit silly sometimes how lucky she was that she met the blonde. After giving up on a real shot at romance, here they were _because of Elsa_ , who didn't give up on her.

How would she ever repay that?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Anna snapped back to herself, noting the amusement sparkling in those blue eyes as Elsa watched her.

"For you, they're free." The redhead smiled and shrugged. "I want to kiss you."

Her girlfriend raised a brow. "And what's stopping you?"

"I don't want to mess up your make-up... or your hair... or your dress..." She smirked, taking a few steps closer to the bed, fully intending to offer her hand to help Elsa up and nothing more.

Truthfully, she very much wanted to mess up the blonde's make-up and hair and dress but that was just her libido talking. Okay, mostly her libido.

Leave it to her girlfriend to close the distance between them, breath ghosting over her lips as her eyes flicked away briefly. "We're running ahead of schedule. I think we can afford a few last minute touch-ups."

Although she was as careful as she could be given the circumstances, Anna found it hard to resist wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist as their lips touched, tongue darting out to beg entrance and finding no resistance. One of Elsa's hands was lightly scratching at the sensitive nape of her neck while the other tugged gently on her tie, trapping Anna in the embrace.

Like she ever _wanted_ to leave.

A few minutes later they separated, panting lightly and faces flushed red, instantly losing themselves in the other's eyes.

"I love you, Elsa."

Elsa smiled, lipstick slightly smudged. "I love you, too, Anna."

She licked her lips. "How are we doing on time?"

"We've got some to spare," the blonde replied, leaning in for another kiss.

In the end, Elsa had to reapply her lipstick- and leave her jacket behind as a small mercy to the redhead- and by the time they actually made it to the car, they were running a little bit late and not at all concerned about it. Though they were taking Elsa's Golf, Anna made sure to run around to the driver's side to open the door for the blonde.

"And they say chivalry is dead."

"They say the same thing about romance but I'm beginning to think that's a lie, too," Anna replied, closing the door and hurrying over to her side, sliding in and receiving a kiss before she had the chance to buckle up.

"If you're only _now_ starting to think that, I guess I've still got some work to do."

"I think I like being your work-in-progress." The redhead teased, buckling up and taking Elsa's hand in hers as soon as they were underway, their fingers intertwining automatically. She could feel the cool metal of the blonde's ring against her skin, only slightly disappointed that it would be a bit awkward for her to use her right hand so their rings could touch. She ran her thumb along the band of her ring instead, glancing down to make sure the snowflake necklace was still proudly on display on the center of her tie as they pulled out of the apartment complex.

The drive was quick and pleasant, the roads more or less empty on a Sunday evening. Anna wasn't quick enough to get out and open Elsa's door when they parked, however, but gladly offered her arm as they walked to the doors. Tiana's Place was a _very_ nice restaurant, even nicer on the inside, and had a live band crooning out some smooth jazz on the stage, not too far from the table they were escorted to by the maître d'. The redhead was quick to pull out her girlfriend's chair, receiving a gracious nod and a radiant smile as Elsa took her seat.

"How does this compare to fancy restaurants in Europe?" She asked as she took her seat across the table. During their trip to the Netherlands, they hadn't really gone anywhere extravagant- or at least, nowhere overtly so. She hadn't picked up on it if they had, anyway.

"It doesn't," Elsa replied, shooting her a smirk. "I've never had such wonderful company."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?"

"Of course not."

Anna smiled, reaching across the table to hold her girlfriend's hand as they looked over the menus. When the redhead noted the prices, she nearly choked on air. Yeah, she'd saved up some money, but it was still a shock to the system as she did the math in her head.

"Calm down, Sunshine. Dinner's on me," Elsa said without even looking up from her menu. "We liked the gumbo last time-"

"Elsa, you can't be serious." The redhead slowly shook her head. "I can't-"

She cut off when Elsa squeezed her hand, meeting her girlfriend's icy blue gaze. "Anna. I'm covering the bill for dinner tonight. This is not up for debate."

"But-"

"Good evening, ladies." Their waiter appeared out of nowhere, smiling with his pen and paper poised. "May I take your orders?"

Anna opened her mouth to say something but Elsa spoke first. "A bottle of your finest rose wine, please, and an order of the whatever the Chef recommends as an appetizer. Also, please give her my regards, Naveen. Will you be playing tonight?"

"Of course!" The waiter laughed, jotting down the order and clicking his pen with a shrug. "You know there is no better guitar player and Louie could use all the help he can get."

A loud, brash brass note sounded from the stage and Elsa laughed.

"I think he heard you." Anna looked up to the stage, noting the playful displeasure on the trumpet player's face as she started up his smooth jazz melody again.

"He'll get over it." Naveen grinned. "I'll be right back with your bottle."

After the waiter left, the redhead took a few moments to collect herself before trying again. "Snowflake-"

"I'm not changing my mind-"

"It's expensive-"

"And you're worth it-"

"It's your money-"

"My money, your money, what's the difference?" The blonde sighed, leaning forward slightly and running her thumb over Anna's ring. "Sunshine, _please_. You know this isn't a big deal to me."

The redhead took a deep breath and released it slowly. Now that she thought about it, their rings and necklaces were probably expensive too. She'd just... never really thought about the price involved before. Maybe she'd subconsciously ignored the implications, since they weren't staring her in the face like they were now? "Snowflake... how can I ever... match this, though?"

"Match it?" The blonde laughed, shaking her head. "What makes you think you're the one behind?" Anna raised a brow in question, so she continued. "You thought I was homeless at one point, Sunshine. You never let me pay if you could help it, for anything, and you always made sure I was fed." She laughed again. "You even drove across town that one night- in the pouring rain- just to help me out."

The redhead smiled; she'd almost forgotten about that. "Kristoff helped, too."

"He changed the tire, yes, but _you_ insisted on filling up my tank after, not to mention the late night chocolate shakes." Elsa shrugged one shoulder. "When you thought I was broke, you didn't care about money and you wouldn't let me protest about how much you were paying for me. Why is this any different?"

Anna didn't really have a good explanation, except the one that sprung to her tongue. "Because."

Elsa waited a few moments. "Because...?"

"Because," she said, as if that's all there was and, really, that was all she had.

The blonde blinked, then chuckled. "Okay, well, I have a counter-argument to 'because'." She got up from her seat, ignoring Anna's protests, and came to her side, kneeling down- how on Earth does someone kneel in heels, that's just not fair- and smiling. "No matter what, you always take care of me when you can, in big ways _and_ small ways. Let me do the same."

At a loss for words, the redhead reached out with her unoccupied hand, cupping Elsa's jaw and drawing her into a tender kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Her girlfriend smirked. "Now, stop fretting over the price and enjoy tonight. As far as I'm concerned, tonight is quite literally price _less_ , okay?"

She smiled, feeling the blush creeping into her cheeks from the look of pure adoration on Elsa's face. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Good." She returned to her seat, picking up her menu again. "So, the gumbo?"

"Sure, and how about some crawdads?"

Elsa raised a brow. "Think you can handle removing the heads yourself?"

"Yeah." She nodded, shrugging. "My girlfriend's Norwegian, so I'm kinda used to the whole 'dead fish eyes' thing now."

"Oh, well that's good." The blonde leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially. "My love's an American. Cute, but _very_ gullible."

They laughed, talking over the menu until Naveen returned with their wine bottle and two glasses. Behind him was the chef and owner of the restaurant, who greeted Elsa warmly before turning towards the redhead.

"And this must be Anna." She offered her hand, a wide smile on her lips. "I've heard so much about you."

Anna accepted with a slight shrug. "I'm afraid I'm at a disadvantage..."

"I can imagine." The chef laughed, tugging on her crisp white uniform. "I'm Tiana, owner and head chef. Elsa and I took a class together a few years ago."

"Oh! Right, I'm sorry." She glanced at her girlfriend, who seemed a bit too amused. "I forgot."

"It's fine, honey, trust me." Tiana nodded towards the blonde. "I've noticed she doesn't talk about herself, much less the people she knows. Luckily for you, you're- well, _together_ , so she just _can't_ shut up about you!"

Anna couldn't help but square her shoulders a little and shoot a smug smile at Elsa, who was laughing lightly. "I think you may be exaggerating, slightly." Tiana set her hands on her hips, raised a brow, cocked one hip, and waited. The blonde coughed and shrugged. "Okay, maybe you're not really exaggerating."

They all laughed as Naveen placed their newly filled wine glasses before them, pink liquid swirling as the bottle was set on the table.

"Anyway, seeing as you requested my recommendation, I thought I would make a very special one in light of the circumstances." Tiana lifted one shoulder. "If you're feeling brave."

Anna and Elsa exchanged a look that spoke volumes, like they weren't talking about merely what they were having for dinner but something far greater.

The redhead looked back at the chef. "Hit us with your best shot."

"We can handle it." Elsa finished and Anna fully believed it.

* * *

The food was delicious, if a bit spicier than either usually ate but certainly not lacking for flavor. Tiana didn't hold back either, serving up some of her favorite Cajun recipes, each dish a serving for two. It required some rearranging of their seating so they could share the plate, which Naveen helped them with, but that was just a bonus. Anna even managed to behead a few of the crawfish herself before she got too creeped out, and Elsa was gracious enough to only lightly tease her about it.

Then, the chef sent out a delicious chocolate _something_ that neither woman could accurately name nor could they resist. They were still enjoying the last remnants of their desert when Naveen took the stage, strumming out a rhythm on his guitar while the trumpet player, presumably Louis, played a soft melody.

Anna glanced around, taking note of a few couples getting up and heading to the cleared out space directly in front of the stage. A gentle tap on her shoulder had her turning back towards Elsa, who was holding out her hand.

"May I have this dance?"

She smiled, placing her hand in the blonde's. "You may."

They got up, heading towards the dance floor with Elsa leading the way, smiling fondly at each other. Too busy watching her girlfriend, Anna nearly ran into a chair, barely keeping her balance while Elsa stifled a giggle, the two opting to stay on the outside of the dance floor as the blonde drew Anna close, wrapping her arms around the redhead's shoulders. Anna settled hers around Elsa's waist, bending her head so she could rest against the column of the blonde's neck.

"This is nice," she said eventually, eyes sliding closed as she sighed in contentment.

"The whole day's been nice, though I believe that's an understatement." Elsa agreed, chuckling. "But it's not over yet."

"It won't ever be," Anna mumbled in reply, pressing her lips to the smooth skin of the blonde's neck.

"Careful, I might hold you to that." They swayed in time, not so much dancing as they were simply moving together.

"I doubt I'd complain unless you start stealing the covers at night."

"Oh, so that's where the line's drawn, is it?"

Anna pulled back enough to look Elsa in the eyes. "Maybe."

"I'll keep that in mind, then." The blonde leaned in, claiming her lips in a languid kiss that she all too eagerly returned. The rest of the world fell away as Anna allowed herself to be pulled into the moment. She relished the sensations of Elsa's lips against hers, being pressed so close together, fully clothed but incredibly intimate. Perfect.

"I'm not really one to complain about a little public affection," Tiana said, breaking both women out of their trance and instantly setting heated blushes in their cheeks. "But I'm pretty sure my employees would like to go home some time tonight."

Anna looked around, noting that the restaurant was empty save for the staff, the band long ago packed up, and her feet were getting a little sore. Offering a sheepish grin to Tiana, the redhead chuckled. "Uh, sorry about that."

"No need to apologize, honey." The chef waved them off, her white jacket left elsewhere, leaving her in a thin tank top. "Nothing wrong with getting lost in your own little universe from time-to-time and we could always use a little more love in the world. I just need to close up shop and I can't very well leave you two in here." She smirked. "I might not have any chocolate left."

They laughed, Anna apologizing again while Elsa went about settling their bill. The redhead wasn't keen on looking at the final tally, still feeling a little guilty about not being allowed to help despite what Elsa had said. It was hard to feel bad, though, when the blonde turned a radiant smile on her, and she offered her arm once more as they prepared to leave.

"Shall we?"

"Let's," Elsa replied, slipping her arm into Anna's and leaning in close to press a kiss to her cheek. "I believe you're first one up for the surprises."

Her lips twitched into a brief frown, realizing the day was drawing to a close. It wasn't a bad thing, per say, but she really liked setting aside a day just to be a couple. They would definitely need to revisit the idea, even if all they did was cuddle up on the couch and marathon bad movies. "I am, but it requires a bit of driving. Don't worry; the directions are easy."

"Would it be easier if you drove?" Elsa offered nonchalantly, turning Anna into a slightly sputtering mess.

"Wha- Elsa, what- no, no no no, I am _not_ driving your car!" She shook her head. Sure, it occurred to her that she should probably drive to dinner given how they'd scheduled the day, but they agreed the Golf was easier to enter and exit in their formal attire. It was a pragmatic choice and probably for the best, not to mention Anna wasn't sure how pulling up to a fancy restaurant in her little Mini would look- not that Anna really fessed up to being concerned about that. "Your Golf-"

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight if the next words out of your mouth have anything to do with how nice my car is or how much it cost," the blonde said smoothly, prodding Anna along as they entered the mostly empty parking lot.

Anna tried _very_ hard to come up with another argument. Honestly, it wasn't that she was, exactly, _concerned_ about her driving ability or anything. It's just... it _was_ a really nice car! And what if she, like, dented it or something? Wait, that could work. She opened her mouth to try but was silenced by Elsa's finger.

"Anna, I want you to drive us to the location of your surprise. If this is a problem, just say so." Despite the crisp tone, the blonde smiled softly. "You don't need to make excuses for me, Sunshine, but we're putting this issue to bed tonight." Her eyes flicked away briefly, as if she had more to say, before returning her gaze to the befuddled redhead.

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

"Anna."

"Okay, okay." The redhead sighed, reaching up to toy with her necklace for a moment. "I guess I can drive. It would be easier..."

A wry grin claimed Elsa's lips. "I wouldn't want to twist your arm or anything."

"No, it's fine. I just..." Anna sighed again, chuckling slightly. "I guess it's just weird to me. I mean, I don't think I've ever driven someone else's vehicle, except for my parents'." She shook her head. "And... I never thought I'd get to this point in life."

"To be honest, I always expected to get to this point eventually; I just didn't think I'd be this happy about it." Elsa rolled her eyes. "You've met my parents, after all. A relationship was bound to be in the cards, one way or another, but nothing felt as... real and powerful as this; I've never been as happy as you make me. It's a bit... scary to think about, sometimes, but thrilling, too." They stopped beside the Golf, the blonde engulfing her in a comforting embrace. "This is our one year anniversary, Sunshine, and it's been the best year so far, for all its ups and downs. I'm looking forward to what the next one has to offer. We already share an apartment, Anna. Why _not_ everything else?"

The redhead couldn't help the smile on her lips or the tears pricking her eyes, ducking her head to bury her face in Elsa's shoulder. It was a bit silly, wasn't it? She'd acknowledged from the second beginning of their relationship that she couldn't compete in the arena of monetary spending and the blonde had made it clear that there was no competition to begin with; to suddenly get hung up on the little details was ridiculous. "Sometimes, I think you're too good to be true."

"We think alike." Elsa pressed a kiss to her temple. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then here." Elsa held her keys up, shaking them slightly to produce a soft jangle. "Whenever you're ready."

It only took another moment of hesitation before Anna grabbed the keys, leading the blonde towards the passenger side and opening the door for her. Elsa looked like she had a smart comment resting on the tip of her tongue but clamped down on it, sliding into the seat with a smile. The redhead hurried around to the other side, carefully situating herself in the driver's seat. While her Mini was a reliable and nice car for her, Anna couldn't help but feel a _little_ giddy about driving Elsa's Golf. Except for one tiny detail...

"Um, Snowflake? How..." She frowned, looking at her girlfriend. "How do you drive this far back from the wheel?"

Elsa raised a brow. "I'm taller than you?"

"You're not _that_ much taller than me." The blonde merely looked at her. "Okay, fine, you're taller than me."

"Aren't you going to adjust the seat? And the mirrors?" She paused. "Sunshine-"

"I'm just trying to figure out where they are." Anna argued, and she was being mostly honest. She'd never noticed before that the blonde's car had electric seat adjusters. She tried to make as few adjustments as possible while also being comfortable enough to properly operate the car. She also used fumbling with the controls as a cover to shoot off a text to Kristoff. "There. Ready to go?"

To her surprise, Elsa was smiling at her with such adoration, it almost struck her dumb. "Not yet." The redhead blinked but quickly caught on when her girlfriend leaned across the center console and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "There. Now, I'm ready."

Just like the goofball she was, Anna gave her girlfriend a dopey grin and pulled out of the parking space, heading to her not-so-secret destination. She was so blatant about it that Elsa seemed to recognize the route once they were about halfway there.

"We're just hitting _all_ the high points on this one." She mused, watching through the window as a plane began its descent overhead, only visible thanks to the lights on its wings.

"Well, not _all_ of them," Anna replied, smirking slightly. "It's pretty hard to recapture that feeling the first time you wake up next to the most gorgeous woman in the world-"

"Tell me about it."

"-and I don't think we want to revisit the introductions to our respective parents-"

"Please, no."

"-but, I did want to do this one a little differently than last time. No onlookers."

"And here I was looking forward to accompanying choir." Elsa playfully pouted.

Anna raised a brow. "I guess you'll just have to make do with my singing."

"I withdraw my complaint."

They both laughed, the redhead stealing a glance at her girlfriend as they passed beneath the streetlights. The constant in-and-out of the illumination made the blonde look like some sort of flickering goddess and it was almost too tempting a sight to pull her gaze away. However, seeing as she really wanted to, well, _not crash_ , Anna returned her attention to the road.

When they finally arrived, the little park by the airport was blissfully empty as usual. "So, here we are." Elsa nodded but remained silent, waiting to follow the redhead's lead and Anna couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on, follow me."

They exited the vehicle, walking a few paces away until Anna stopped and pulled out her phone, selecting the song she wanted. As it began, she pulled Elsa into her embrace, arms wrapped around the blonde's waist.

"I thought we could dance a little more." She hadn't planned on dancing at Tiana's but, despite the slight ache in her feet, she wasn't going to complain about a little more close contact with her beloved. "Ready?"

"As long as I'm with you, yes," she replied, smiling, arms loosely draped around the redhead's shoulders, their swaying hips picking up the rhythm of the music.

Recognizing her cue, Anna began to sing, softly, eyes locked with her girlfriend's.

" _I set out on a narrow way, many years ago, hoping I would find true love, along the broken road._ " Perhaps listening to that radio station was slowly influencing her music selections but, honestly, she couldn't get this particular one out of her head after she heard it. " _I got lost a time or two. Wiped my brow, kept pushing through. I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you._ " The blonde smiled indulgently, not familiar with the lyrics but listening intently all the same. " _Every long lost dream, led me to where you are. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars. Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms._ " Her lips were stretched in an impossibly wide smile as she sung. " _This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you._ "

The music continued playing but Anna took advantage of the break, leaning in to steal a brief kiss from Elsa, who seemed more inclined to let it linger than the redhead, pressing forward when she tried to retreat.

"The next verse is coming up," she said as she somehow managed to tear herself away. Elsa blinked for a moment, looking a bit sheepish as she nodded, her body suddenly becoming slightly stiff in the redhead's arms. Anna instantly became concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"No! I just- it's nothing." Elsa ducked her head, pressing a kiss to the redhead's cheek. "I love you, Sunshine."

"I love you, too." Anna let the music continue, forgetting about the lyrics completely as she lowered her voice. "Snowflake? What's wrong?"

They stopped swaying, her girlfriend drawing closer. "I love listening to you sing, I do... but please just hold me."

"Of course." The redhead let out a relieved sigh, nuzzling into Elsa's neck. "We didn't finish the song last time either, so it's perfect."

The music was relatively unobtrusive as they simply stood and held each other, spending the remainder of the song simply wrapped up in their embrace. As silence settled on them, Anna didn't even try pulling away, rather content with hearing and feeling the blonde's heartbeat and breathing along with the gentle, early autumn wind.

"I'm sorry." Elsa offered after a few more minutes but the redhead quickly pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "I ruined your surprise."

"Stop that. Today's all about us, remember?" She tightened her grip on the blonde's waist, smiling at the flush spreading across pale cheeks. "As long as I'm here with you, the rest doesn't matter. I love you."

"I love you too, Anna." There was something hiding just behind Elsa's eyes, something caught between anticipation and terror, and she instinctively leaned in to plant a soft, reassuring kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

"Ready for part two?" Anna raised a brow, using her thumbs to rub soft circles above the blonde's hips.

"If I say no, can we stay in this moment forever?"

"I think subjecting you to so many rom-coms is having an effect on you," she said, more than a little amused as she rested her cheek against Elsa's shoulder.

"A negative one?"

"I didn't say that."

Her girlfriend chuckled, making a show of reluctantly pulling away. "Lead on, Sunshine."

With a smile, the redhead lead them towards the bench they'd sat at last time, specifically stopping to grab a seemingly random box left beside it. Inside were blankets and a deck of cards, which Anna quickly collected before leading them towards the slope, setting up one of the blankets higher than they did last time. She could barely walk on tile in high heels; how Elsa made it look so effortless in grass was beyond her.

Anna shrugged out of her jacket, setting it aside as they reclined on the blanket and grabbing the deck of cards. "Okay, so, remember how last time you made up stories for the passengers?"

"I believe we both contributed, but yes."

"Good, 'cause this time, there's a twist." She pulled out the cards and started shuffling. "We'll draw a card. If it's a heart, then the story has to involve a love interest of some sort. Diamonds will involve a family member, clubs will involve some sort of organization, like a job or group, and spades can be dealer's choice."

Elsa chuckled. "Okay, I can appreciate a challenge. What about the numbers?"

"Hmmm, well, do _you_ have any suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact..."

The rules were quickly set and they cuddled up close, Anna pulling the first card as a plane flew overhead- the five of diamonds. Elsa instantly started up a story involving a man looking for his daughter. When another plane passed, the blonde drew a card- the Jack of spades- and it was the redhead's turn to continue the story, introducing the daughter's down-and-out boyfriend.

They must've laid there for an hour, spinning a grand tale that shifted genres and even time periods, introducing a host of characters, until Elsa pulled out the Queen of hearts.

"Aha, so now it gets interesting." She pressed a kiss against Anna's cheek. "So, the determined daughter, in trying to find her confused boyfriend and her lost father, comes across the benevolent queen of the land, Her Majesty Sunshine."

"Hey, hearts mean love interest, remember?"

"Well, you're my love interest, so that counts, right?" The blonde quirked a brow, trying very hard to hide her sly smile behind a front of innocence. They both laughed and Elsa continued the story, with Queen Sunshine joining the heroine as she searched the land for her family and lover. Then another plane came and Elsa drew the ace of spades. "Uh oh. The villain appears."

"Indeed she does." Anna tilted her head slightly, taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of the blonde's shampoo. "Let's see... she's a queen herself, ruler of the frozen northern lands. Cold, feared, and forever beyond the reach of her minions, Queen Snowflake ruled from her throne high atop the Northern Mountain."

Her girlfriend shot her a look that was about fifty percent unimpressed with being cast as the villain and fifty percent intrigued by the redhead's choice.

As the story wore on, the daughter ended up reaching Queen Snowflake's castle with Queen Sunshine in tow. The two monarchs managed to hit it off and the daughter's father was released from the dungeons, her lover hit a lucky break, and the lives of several other characters improved- except for one rather rude farmer, the five of clubs.

"Did we just retell the story of _The Snow Queen_?" Anna laughed, turning to look at the blonde's face.

"I'm pretty sure there weren't any airships or cyborgs in _The Snow Queen_."

"Some would consider those an improvement." She got up, offering Elsa her hand. "Shall we?"

The blonde hesitated only momentarily before accepting the help up. They quickly gathered up the blankets and cards, grabbing the box and putting them in the trunk. To spare her any further emotional turmoil, Elsa offered to drive, though she seemed notably more tense than before.

"Snowflake? Is everything-"

"I'm fine," she replied a little too quickly, flashing the redhead a quick smile. "This has honestly been the best day of my life." Smiling back was a reflex and Anna opted to stay silent for the moment, waiting to see if Elsa would continue on her own. She wasn't disappointed. "I'm just... nervous about the last part."

Anna reached over, taking the blonde's hand in hers. The last part of the day was Elsa's surprise; they opted not to do any gifts this time around, though the redhead had gotten something anyway. That could wait until tomorrow though, and definitely until after she reassured the blonde.

"It's okay to be nervous, Snowflake, but there's really no reason. I love you and you're stuck with me at this point. Unless your surprise is some sort of Norwegian tradition to terrify your girlfriend with fish heads, I'm pretty sure we'll get through it completely unscathed."

Elsa's smile was slightly more confident after that but there was still nervousness and doubt lurking in her eyes. "I love you, Anna."

"And I _love_ you, Elsa." She pressed her lips to the back of the blonde's hand.

* * *

Author's Note: What am I even doing with my life? The end of the date is next chapter, which is considerably longer because... well, it's mostly awkward smut. Given how much it's been built up, I thought it was better for it to stand alone rather than following scenes as the others did. Hopefully, it lives up to expectations. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** : I don't own shit. Oh, look, it's time for that thing everyone's probably waiting for... needless to say, _lots_ of awkward smut in this chapter. Ye be warned.

* * *

They drove back home in silence. Anna kept shooting smiles to the nervous blonde in the passenger seat, trying to be as supportive as possible. She would've tried offering verbal assurances but figured that would only make things worse. With her tendency to ramble, she'd probably end up guessing Elsa's surprise, which might or might _not_ be exactly what was needed. All in all, she would just do whatever she could not to put any pressure on her lovely girlfriend. Pulling into the apartment complex, the redhead raised their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Elsa's.

"Home, sweet home." She received a warm smile in response, focusing on parking Elsa's Jetta briefly before shutting the vehicle off. "Stay right there!" She hurried around to the other side of the vehicle, opening the door for Elsa and offering her hand to help her out. "Your Majesty."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" The blonde arched a brow, offering no resistance as she was swept into an embrace, their lips coming together slowly.

"Hey, I think today's definitely the day to indulge a little bit." Anna grinned the moment they parted. "I get to be a sappy, love-struck fool and no one can hold it against me."

The blonde squinted at her. "Hmmm, I thought that was the common excuse for Valentine's Day?"

"Well, that day, too. And your birthday. And New Year's, and Christmas, and St. Patrick's Day-"

"St. Patrick's Day?"

"And- you know what? Every holiday. And days of the week that end in 'day'." She smiled even wider as Elsa laughed. "Let's be honest: I have the perfect excuse to be a sappy, love-struck fool." She tilted their foreheads together. "As long as I have you. I love you, Snowflake."

"I love you, too, Sunshine." This time, when the blonde smiled, there was a light in her eyes, her nerves seemingly disappearing. They shared one more kiss before heading up to their apartment.

Anna half expected Mr. Oaken to be there, lurking in the shadows once again, but found the place blessedly empty as she was led through the door and living room. Elsa didn't bother turning on any lights, taking them straight into the bedroom.

At this point, the redhead was pretty sure what Elsa's surprise was and tried valiantly to beat down the tide of nerves rising in _her_. Really, it was overpowered with excitement quite easily, but there was still that under current of first time jitters. She was also getting ahead of herself. Maybe the blonde's surprise was, like, matching pajamas or something, embroidered with their initials. She really wouldn't put it past Elsa.

Although, if the blonde didn't do it, that _would_ be a really cute Christmas idea.

Once across the threshold, Elsa set about turning on the bedside lamp and digging through her nightstand. Anna waited by the doorway, taking the moment to appreciate her girlfriend's form; she spent so much time staring into those beautiful blue eyes, she forgot there was more to her lover sometimes. Her face scrunched up in annoyance as the thought crossed her mind, sounding a bit too shallow for her liking, though she did admit that the current setting might have something to do with that.

The blonde made a noise of triumph, turning back to her while holding a little foil packet between two fingers. "I realize this might not be much of a surprise but I think it's about time we... take things to the next level."

Anna raised a brow, stepping closer to her beloved and allowing a mischievous grin to claim her lips. "The next level, huh? What would that entail, exactly?"

Elsa gave her an unamused smirk. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"No." She closed the distance, setting her hands on the blonde's hips and lightly brushing their lips together. "You can always just show me."

Elsa puffed out a laugh before their lips met, an arm encircling her shoulders as their bodies pressed together. There was some part of the redhead that was eager to 'get to it', familiar with the pleasure Elsa's touch brought and craving more of it, but Anna restrained herself, keeping their kisses soft and slow, sensual, as she worked out how to say what was on her mind.

"Snowflake." She whispered, pulling back just enough so she could see her lover's eyes, moving one hand to cup her cheek while the other rested on the blonde's lower back. "First, I want to say that I would absolutely _love_ to make love to you, Elsa." With a gentle pressure, their hips came together a little more firmly, illustrating just what she meant. Her smile widened when Elsa's eyes fluttered, a spark of excitement flashing across her features. "But are _you_ ready for that?"

The blonde bit her lip, untold fears and doubts plaguing her briefly before she favored Anna with a wide smile. "I'm a little terrified, if I'm being completely honest, but... yes. I _am_ ready." A slim hand moved to the front of her suit, taking a firm hold of her tie. "I feel like I'm going to make a fool out of myself one way or another but I... I _need_ this, Anna. _I need you._ "

She was pulled forward by her tie and offered no resistance, their lips meeting again but much more forceful, fueled by desire and want with a touch of impatience. There was an ongoing cheer in the back of her head as she slowly maneuvered them towards the bed, their lips practically fused together as Elsa refused to release her hold. That is, until the backs of her knees hit the mattress and they stopped, separating long enough to once again make eye contact.

"I... think it might be easier to get undressed before we lie down." Anna murmured, somehow managing to speak around what felt like her heart beating erratically in her throat.

"Me first." Elsa offered and the redhead almost let loose a sigh of relief, because this whole thing seemed easier if she could focus on her lover rather than herself. Apparently, that wasn't what Elsa had in mind, hands busying themselves with removing Anna's jacket.

"How is this you first?" She rolled her shoulders back, allowing her jacket to fall to the ground with a muffled rustling of cloth, the blonde moving her attention to the belt around her waist next.

" _I_ get to unwrap _you_ first." The belt was slid out of its loops and joined her jacket on the floor, one eyebrow arching in question. "Is that a problem?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a _problem_ , exactly." Anna tried to assist, but her hands were brushed away. "Oh, so I'm just a passive participant, huh?"

"For now. I doubt this will be all that enjoyable if you're passive the whole way through." Elsa teased, unfastening her pants and allowing them to fall as Anna kicked out of her shoes.

The redhead chuckled. "You honestly think I _could_ keep myself still?"

"No." Elsa had her by the tie again, guiding her into a kiss that spoke volumes of anticipation. "You're never still. Not even when you're asleep."

She blinked, then laughed. "Can't argue with that, I guess."

Their lips met again, the removal of her pants causing her member to throb, straining against her boxers as their bodies pressed close.

"I almost want to leave the tie." The blonde mused, fingers dancing over the knot briefly before she set about undoing it. "Next time, maybe."

"Let's get through this time first, okay?" Anna leaned in, laying open mouthed kisses from the blonde's shoulder up to her ear, nibbling on her earlobe. She noted her tie was slowly slid from around her neck, leaving a burning path across her skin, even with her shirt as a barrier, and she hissed out a breath from between her teeth. "But, yeah, let's definitely revisit the tie thing some other time."

"Definitely." The buttons on her shirt were flicked open, one by one, little kisses accompanying the revealed skin. Her chest, the swell of her breasts, her abdomen, until the material was being slid from her shoulders.

In nothing but a bra and boxers, Anna stood before her beloved girlfriend, acutely aware of the vulnerability inherent in the situation but strangely unable to feel it. The love and adoration she saw in Elsa's eyes made it seem silly to be scared, protecting her from the irrational fear even as it tried to gnaw its way through her gut.

"Is it my turn yet?" There was no hiding the eagerness in her voice, eyes pleading as the blonde favored her with a sultry smirk.

"I suppose that's fair." Elsa turned, indicating where the dress zipped up, but Anna didn't go for it, not at first. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the other woman, pressing into her back, teeth and tongue assaulting the blonde's neck. It was supremely gratifying the way Elsa leaned back against her, reaching over her shoulder to tangle her hand in her hair, mussing her bun- not that she minded in the slightest, despite the minor annoyance that came with the bobby pins falling out. "Are you actually going to undress me, Sunshine?"

"Hmmm, someone's impatient." Anna nipped at her earlobe before relenting, taking the zipper and drawing it down slowly, following the path opened to her with the tips of her fingers, eliciting a shudder form the blonde. She dipped her hands beneath the fabric, in part to disrobe the woman in her arms but also because she wanted, needed to touch her. "You're beautiful, Elsa."

"I could say the same for you," she replied, her dress slipping down, pooling on the floor, revealing a matching set of light blue lace undergarments.

Pressing close once more, Anna looked over the blonde's shoulder, admiring the view as her hands came up to gently cup her girlfriend's breasts. Elsa pressed a kiss to her temple and they stayed like that for a few moments, quietly absorbing the moment. Then the blonde shifted _just enough_ to brush against her concealed erection, a low groan rising from her throat as Elsa repeated the motion intentionally.

"For as eager as you are, you're certainly taking your time." It sounded playful, maybe a little teasing, but Anna caught the faint tremor just beneath, smoothing her palms across the blonde's stomach down to her hips. Her brave Snowflake; maybe she was so eager to get things started because her nerves were getting the better of her, but damn was she trying to act confident. Once again, it was the effort Elsa put into making her happy that absolutely floored Anna.

"One of these days, you're going to listen to me, Snowflake." She pressed another kiss behind Elsa's ear, speaking softly. "It's not about the sex." She paused briefly, highly aware that her erection was pressing rather insistently against the back of Elsa's thigh. "Okay, I'm not going to lie, being intimate with you is _amazing_ beyond belief- seriously, I tried not to think about it before I met you, but this is better than anything I could've dreamed up-" Anna mentally slapped herself, getting back on track "- _but_ I don't need it. I just need _you_."

Her heart hammered in her chest as those words resounded inside her head, like echoing in an endless hallway. She said them, sure, but it wasn't until they were spoken that Anna really considered just how terrifyingly sincere they were.

She _needed_ Elsa.

The future was never something Anna focused on too heavily. For the majority of her adult life, it was just a depressing reminder that she would probably grow old alone, that as much as she adored the idea of romantic love, she probably wouldn't get a chance to practice it. At least, not fully; she did, after all, go on dates during her college years, played the part. But now... she _wanted_ to look at the future, and every time the thoughts snuck in, Elsa was with her. Either by her side or just a phone call away- she didn't bother deluding herself into thinking they could spend every day together, especially with the blonde's graduation approaching and her imminent promotion to the highest echelons of the family company- but she was there, like the sun, the moon, and the stars.

She was... _everything_ to the redhead.

"I love you, Elsa," Anna said, voice thick with emotion, hugging her girlfriend tightly.

Not tight enough, though, as the blonde immediately picked up on the change in her voice and turned in her embrace, cupping her face gently. "I love you, Anna. _So_ much."

Their lips met again, a gesture of reassurance and trust. A reminder that they were _both_ a little scared, a little nervous, but neither had any reason to be. It wasn't about the act; it was about the meaning behind it. The build-up to it, every day since they'd met, slowly progressing to this moment, and this _wasn't_ the end of the journey.

They still had a long way to go. And _wow_ that was an amazing thought, that there was still so much to look forward to after this, that would make this moment sparkle in its own right but pale in comparison.

When they parted, the redhead smiled wide, gently pushing Elsa onto the bed and bending down to remove the blonde's heels and her own socks. Finally even on the clothing front, Anna crawled onto the bed trading kisses as they positioned themselves comfortably.

Because this woman- this beautiful, smart, funny, adorable, amazing woman- meant everything to Anna, and she was going to make sure that was _very_ evident. Elsa wanted this to happen, despite being nervous about it, and she definitely wanted it, too.

Their kisses became deeper, probing, their tongues battling each other playfully as they discarded their bras. Elsa had a significant advantage, being on the bottom, but Anna followed swiftly, and for a time that was as far as things got. The redhead allowed her body weight to settle on her girlfriend, their breasts pressing together, Anna's hips fitting neatly between Elsa's and it again occurred to her how perfectly they fit together. It just felt so natural, in a surreal way, like this was where she was meant to be, completely entwined with the woman she loved.

From what she could tell, Elsa was experiencing the same rush, moaning as their hips rolled together, still separated by cloth but only just. She could practically feel the heat of the blonde's core, her member straining to be buried in that sacred place. Reaching down, the redhead liberating Elsa of her underwear, sliding them down her legs and instantly driving forward, eager for a taste of her beloved. Although she seemed to object at first, her head pressed back into the bed as a low groan ripped from her mouth, fingers tangling in red locks once more as Anna's tongue traced her outer lips briefly, diving through slick folds to tease her entrance.

"Anna." Elsa puffed out a breath, tugging lightly at her hair, completely at odds with what her body craved and what she wanted. The redhead couldn't help but smirk, tongue sliding up to flick at her clit, stimulating the little bundle of nerves. "Oh!"

The next tug was more forceful, a command rather than a plea, and this time she acquiesced, earning a moan from the blonde when their mouths met, the taste of Elsa's arousal still heavy on her tongue.

Somehow- either she underestimated how flexible Elsa was or she was extremely distracted by her lower lip being bitten and gently suckled, hard to tell- her boxers were pushed down past her hips, and she eagerly discarded the offensive item, relieved the last barrier between them was gone. Their bodies came together again, her erection brushing up against Elsa's wetness, and the urge to buried completely within her girlfriend was almost maddeningly overwhelming. She reached out, taking her length in her hand and guiding the leaking head of her penis through Elsa's folds, searching for her entrance. As a prelude of what was to come, it was _wonderful_ and...

 _ **FUCK.**_

"Wait, where's the condom?" Her gaze snapped up, body going stock still as the realization struck.

The blonde instantly tensed, eyes going wide as she glance to the floor, littered with their discarded clothes. "I... dropped it. I think." She blinked, like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi truck. "I honestly have no clue."

They both looked at the mess for a moment before Anna felt a giggle bubbling up, failing to smother it in time and rolling onto her back to keep from collapsing onto her girlfriend. She tried to stop- no, honestly, she really tried- but the giggles wouldn't stop. It was just... funny! To her immense relief, she could hear Elsa laughing too, looking over at the blonde to see her covering her face with her hands.

"Guess we, uh, forgot a step, huh?" She finally calmed down, reaching out to take Elsa's hands away from her face.

"Yeah..." She sighed, face flushed with a mix of arousal and embarrassment but still smiling. "I told you I was going to make a fool out of myself."

"Nuh-uh. I don't think so. We just got a bit carried away, that's all." Anna hummed, leaning over to steal a kiss. "If it's any consolation, I'm still inclined to heavily disagree with Eugene. He assured me that everyone's first time is, and I quote, 'some degree of horrible' but, honestly, I can't see that as a valid description, ever, especially in regards to you."

Elsa looked at her, quirking a brow. "Eugene?"

"Yeah." She chuckled, glancing away briefly. "I, uh, went and asked him for advice not too long ago. I mean, things were starting to head this way, so I figured I should... ask for help. I wanted to be prepared and, ya know... good enough, for you."

The blonde chuckled, lips curling into a grin. "I suppose I felt the same. I spoke with Rapunzel. Multiple times, actually." She ran a hand through her hair, idly removing the remaining pins until the locks flowed freely. "I thought about asking Merida but, truthfully, I'm not sure if she'd ever let me live it down."

"Eugene mentioned that- you talking to Punzie, I mean." Anna followed suit, to give her something to do in the meantime. Although Elsa always looked stunning, letting her hair down made the entire scenario even more intimate, such a stark departure from her signature braid.

"You knew?" Her brows furrowed. "You never said anything."

"I only found out recently and... I wanted to talk about it- me, you, sex, all that stuff- but..." She rolled her eyes at herself, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks as she forced herself to be blunt. "Well, with our anniversary coming up, I didn't want you to feel pressured. I wanted Eugene's help to make, um, losing my virginity a great experience _for you_ , but only when the time was right. Not that it isn't right right now, obviously, but that's only because you're ready, and-"

A finger pressed to her lips shushed her and she offered her girlfriend a grateful smile for the understanding she saw shining in those wonderfully blue eyes.

"Before we go further into this conversation, I'd like to make a slight correction: _we_ are losing _our_ virginity. This isn't a one sided exchange, Sunshine."

"Well, no, but you _have_ had sex before." Stupid irrational jealousy. This was really _not_ the time. "I mean, yeah, obviously this is different than, um, your experiences but... I just figured that it also meant you had an idea of what you liked and what you didn't."

Elsa was silent for a moment, gaze drifting up and down the redhead's body slowly and- if she wasn't being too hopeful- appreciatively. She still hadn't quite accepted that maybe her beloved girlfriend really accepted her entirely, not yet. That was okay, of course, but it was still a goal that she felt they hadn't quite reached yet. "I thought I did. Then I realized that there's a very stark difference between having sex and making love." Their gazes locked. "Yes, I've had sex before, but this is still a first for me, Anna. I've... never wanted to make love to someone before."

For a second or two, she just stared. "Wait, what?"

Elsa bit her lip briefly and glanced away, as if searching for the words she needed. Before looking back to Anna, the blonde twisted around, rummaging through her nightstand to grab another foil packet, forgoing the one lost among their discarded clothing.

"Here, let me put it this way." Anna initially raised a brow but quickly felt her eyelids flutter close as the blonde scooted closer and laid a litany of kisses along her shoulder, up her neck, finally nibbling on her ear briefly before speaking again, voice soft. "I love you and I want to be with you, like this, _because_ I love _you_. Who you are as a person, every part that makes you _Anna_ , and I've never felt like this for anyone else. So please, _please_ don't think of this as a one-sided leap into the unknown." A soft kiss, just behind her ear. "We're doing this _together_."

Tilting her head to capture Elsa's lips with hers and buy herself a brief respite, Anna tried her hardest to keep her mind focused on the subject at hand. Then again, thinking was _definitely_ not easy at the moment, so she tossed it aside and just deepened the kiss, breaking away only at the blonde's insistence.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" The blonde smirked, moving to straddle Anna's hips while holding the condom between them.

All she could do was nod and hope it didn't come off as being incredibly needy, reaching to grasp her member in one hand as Elsa opened the package and slipped the prophylactic out. They worked together- and, if she had the brain cells to dedicate to thinking about it, probably would've found that either weird or funny- to roll the bundled latex down, encasing her penis just like Eugene had explained. There were ludicrous little drawings on the back of the box that helped, too, but once the condom was in place, the stopped and looked at each other.

Anna was well aware just how intense this moment was for her- accomplishing the impossible in a way that _meant the world_ to her. However, looking into those blue eyes that had always captured her attention, the redhead realized that she really wasn't alone in that regard. Elsa was just as invested, heck she even looked a little _excited_ , and wasn't that just the most thrilling and fulfilling sensation in the world!

They... were really doing this. Right now. Together.

She couldn't help it; she immediately leaned up, drawing her beloved down for a deep kiss as they moved into a more comfortable position. It was like sweet torture, the latex covering her member robbing her of sensation as it rested against the inside of the blonde's thigh, Elsa moving to sit in her lap as their tongues slid against each other, a prelude of things to come. It was only reluctantly that they parted for air, the blonde shifting her attention lower, eager to finally join them.

Which was great, and she wasn't about to _stop_ of course, but something in the back of her mind suddenly shot forward as the very tip of her was slid between wet lips. "Wait!"

" _Why_?" Elsa's gaze snapped up, caught somewhere between annoyed and terrified, and a soft smile only did so much to assuage either.

"Trust me." Anna reached down, running her fingers through slick heat, finding the bundle of nerves she was looking for and rubbing it gently, prompting a gasp from the woman above her. She curled forward, lightly biting into Elsa's shoulder and immediately soothing the wound with her tongue. It was a distraction, something to split her lover's attention, and it was working, though she was a bit eager to suck the skin in her mouth and leave a mark. She wouldn't, of course, but it was pretty damn tempting.

Instead, she refocused her attention elsewhere, running her fingers through to dip teasingly into Elsa's waiting entrance. The months they'd spent using only hands and tongues had done a bit to acclimate the blonde but her length and width dwarfed her fingers considerably, so she retreated to rubbing lightly at her girlfriend's clit, walking the fine line between arousal and frustration. Just when it looked like Elsa was getting impatient, she pulled her hand away, greedily licking her fingers clean quickly before settling one hand on the blonde's hip, the other moving her covered member through slick folds.

"Please, Snowflake, trust me."

Although a bit frustrated by the sudden, slow method Anna was using, Elsa didn't protest, though she did let out a criminally arousing moan as she was entered. Thanking the heavens for small miracles, the redhead tried not to mentally complain about being unable to fully feel the slick heat engulfing her. It was a minor thing, really, the thin barrier separating them doing nothing to diminish the meaning or the emotions or anything that mattered.

Still, condoms were a logical necessity and not something she would willingly use otherwise. Stupid latex.

Biting her lip to hold in a moan of her own, Anna watched, partly out of lewd fascination but mostly to ensure she did this part right. It was her biggest concern and a fair portion of the research she did- if one could call her conversation with Eugene and a lot of time typing key words into Google 'research'- centered around this. Once she was confident she wasn't going to slip out, the redhead moved her hand back up to grip her lover's other hip, holding her steady and guiding her in small, shallow motions.

Hurting Elsa was something Anna _never_ wanted to do again, physically or emotionally, and one of the few things that she _had_ paid attention to during the very, very confusing Sex Ed class she endured in High School- because, really, staring at diagrams and talking about anatomy she didn't posses was just a tad on the weird side- was how a woman's first time typically hurt. Typically, because it really depended on a number of factors, the biggest of which being her partner- er, no pun intended. The best way to avoid the painful part, however, was to make sure Elsa was more than ready for her, even if it took a bit longer than just sheathing herself completely from the onset.

Which was easier said than done; despite the lessened sensation from the condom, Anna was still acutely aware of the pulsating, warm walls surrounding her member, clenching when she pulled Elsa's hips up and welcoming her back when her hips moved down. The slow rhythm wasn't doing either of them any favors, either, drawing each sensation to its max, urging both of them faster. Now, she finally understood what her friend meant by what she would remember in the heat of the moment. This was quite literally the hottest moment of her life and it was a struggle to retain any form of higher thought process. By some miracle, she hung on, gradually allowing the strokes to come faster, reveling in the smooth motion that only seemed to ease with each passing second. Elsa- either out of frustration or pure want- leaned down and started peppering kisses on whatever skin she could reach, tongue darting out to trace aimless patterns across freckled skin, nipping at Anna's earlobe and _wow_ that was amazing and the redhead nearly lost track of what she was doing, groaning appreciatively.

Then the blonde leaned in close to her ear, panting lightly, and whimpered. "Oh, Anna, _please_."

Any self control she could claim to have went straight out the window.

This time, she raised to meet Elsa's hips, burying herself all the way inside her girlfriend.

A sharp gasp followed by a groan fell from the blonde's lips and she couldn't help but echo the sentiment. This was it: completion. The most physical connection that could possibly resemble their emotional one.

"Is it okay if I cry right now? Because I think I might cry," Anna said with a slight warble in her voice. That was... probably not the best thing for her to say in the moment, but, damnit, the tears were _going_ to come at this rate. Tears of joy, of course, and relief and disbelief.

"Only if I'm the one who can kiss them away," Elsa replied with a tender smile leaning down to press her lips to blushing cheeks. "I love you, Anna."

She nearly choked on her reply for two reasons: one, the myriad of emotions running through her made it super difficult to pick just one to focus on and, two, Elsa's movements caused the angle of her hips to change, which felt awesome.

"Love you too, Elsa." Their lips met, a soft exchange born of the affection flooding her soul as opposed to the heat suffusing her body.

She would never really be able to figure out what she did so very right to deserve this moment... but she was _so_ grateful for it, regardless.

Slowly, tenderness gave way to need as Elsa used her legs to lift herself up, bringing a groan out of Anna as they moved apart, only for them to come together again before losing the connection completely. It was difficult, at first, finding a rhythm that was both satisfying and easy to maintain, but the process was delicious in its own regard. Skin sliding against skin, moans and pants filling the air, catching each others gaze just long enough before stealing a kiss, hands griping while nails raked- it was the most beautiful, strange, and vaguely amusing dance.

Because now that they were here, past what seemed to be this far off, distant and not entirely reasonable goal, it seemed silly that either of them ever felt any apprehension regarding this moment. Sure, a year ago it would've been beyond awkward, but with everything they'd gone through in that time, the highs and lows, it was just inevitable. Not something they needed to worry about or work towards explicitly but... literally the next logical step. A milestone, sure, but was there ever really any doubt that they'd make it through to the other side of this?

Anna groaned, head thrown back as a particularly deep thrust brought her attention to just how close she was to spilling over. Unfortunately, Elsa didn't seem nearly as close- and she'd been warned that mutual orgasm was a pretty lofty fantasy on the first try- so she did the only thing she could. Trying to stave off her impending orgasm was laughable, especially given how easily the blonde could work her up, so she started taking a more aggressively active role in the exchange, using one hand to massage a full breast while the other slipped down, seeking out her lover's clit.

The sharp gasp when she found it brought a smile to her lips, mentally cheering when Elsa's hips stuttered to a stop, allowing her to rub that little bundle of nerves easier. She could feel every shuddering clench of the blonde's inner muscles and fought rather valiantly to keep herself still, intent on using the break to push her lover to orgasm before seeking her own.

"Oh!" Elsa's head lolled forward, breath coming a bit harshly before she muttered out three little words. "No you don't."

Anna furrowed her brows in confusion a moment before her lover started moving again, apparently not keen on allowing the redhead to continue. She tried to protest- really, she did- but found herself rather unwilling to object as inner muscles clenched around her, turning her words into an unintelligible moan. Even if she possessed the mental fortitude to resist the onslaught of pleasure, the hand suddenly grasping her wrist and pulling her away was _really_ hard to argue with, especially when it was pinned by the side of her head. Her other hand was pinned as well a moment later and that _really_ shouldn't make her burn as hot as it did, especially when Elsa resumed riding her, a cheeky little smirk on her lips.

"This is _your_ present, remember?" Her voice was husky, eyes as dazzling as always though darkened by lust. "It would be rude if I came first."

Lacking the ability to form a coherent rebuttal, Anna whined.

"It's okay, my Sunshine." There was a hint of a chuckle to her voice, cut off by a moan. "Don't hold back."

Like she needed further encouragement. Tilting her head back, the redhead squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip as the pleasure built, blood rushing in her ears until she couldn't take it anymore.

" _Elsa!_ " Her own hips stuttered and jerked as her orgasm washed over her, relishing the way Elsa's tight warmth clung through every throbbing spurt of release. She wasn't sure which was more gratifying: the knowledge that she'd just found release in the woman she loved more than anything or the act itself.

Okay, that was a lie; the former, definitely the former.

It took a moment for the last of her orgasm to subside, body slumping back to the mattress, arms going up to wrap around her lover's waist the moment they were free. She barely possessed the energy to curl up, nuzzling into Elsa's chest and humming in satisfaction when fingers carded through red strands. It was definitely her most intense release to date and half of that was letting go of all the emotional baggage and expectation she'd heaped upon herself prior to the act. Somehow, having her girlfriend remain so close to her was the best thing now.

Exhausted but smiling, Elsa looked down at her, blue eyes twinkling with adoration. Anna hummed in satisfaction as light fingers traced along her jaw, sparking electricity through her skin. "You look good like this, by the way."

"Pinned under you? Tired? Sweaty?"

"All of the above."

"Flatterer." She was mumbling but couldn't be bothered to care, eyelids suddenly heavy. "Come here?"

Carefully, the blonde eased off her, prompting a mournful whimper from the redhead as the warmth she'd become rather fond of slipped away. She couldn't begin to imagine how intoxicating it would feel without the barrier between them and opted not to entertain it; despite how absolutely _amazing_ it was, Anna wasn't exactly keen on moving anytime soon, so best not to tempt the fates. She offered no further protest when Elsa settled beside her, instantly nuzzling into the blonde's side.

"You should probably get rid of the condom, you know," Elsa said, a smile audible in her voice.

"Later." Unless the apartment caught fire, there was little she'd be willing to even consider moving for and most of them were unlikely enough that she closed her eyes, thoroughly settling into her post orgasmic bliss.

"It's not exactly hygienic."

Anna cracked an eye open, trying to gauge if the blonde's concern was lighthearted chit chat or sincere interest in cleanliness. "Do I have to?"

"Well, no." Elsa pressed a kiss to the redhead's temple, idly rubbing her arm in a soothing motion. "You're sleepy, huh?"

Heaving a heavy breath, she propped herself up on her elbow, forcing herself to remain awake. "Just a little, sorry. I mean, _you_ did most of the work."

"Shush." They shared a languid kiss, pressing impossibly closer. "I'm tired, too. It's been a long, eventful day. But do _not_ complain tomorrow morning when you wake up feeling gross."

Anna mulled the thought over for a moment. "Hmmm, doesn't that mean we can take a shower when we wake up?"

"Already planning for the next time?" The blonde teased. "You're insatiable."

"Nuh-uh!" She blinked, forcing her mind back to a more coherent state. "I _meant_ a totally not sexy shower where we can just be cute and cuddly together! With water!"

"I think the water part's actually a requirement for showers." Anna rolled her eyes while her girlfriend giggled. " _However_ , I'm willing to consider the idea of a shower, sexy or not, after some well deserved rest."

With a smile and another kiss, the redhead reluctantly agreed that waiting until the morning wasn't the best idea and hauled herself out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom to discard the prophylactic and clean herself up a bit. As she looked in the mirror, Anna's mind finally caught up with the enormity of what they'd just done. Aside from how amazing it felt- now that she was finally in a state of mind to properly acknowledge it- there was the lingering concern that this stage was entirely for her benefit. Entering the bedroom once more, a lopsided smile claimed her lips as her gaze fell on Elsa's still naked form beckoning her back to the bed.

"Snowflake?" She crawled under the covers, claiming a kiss before continuing. "Was this okay?"

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "I'd like to think it definitely ranked higher than 'okay', Anna. It certainly did in my book."

Chuckling, she snuck another kiss. "Nice deflection. But seriously, talk to me. What are you thinking?"

Elsa settled back on the pillows, pursing her lips slightly before speaking. "That, despite being as nervous as I was, this was probably the best decision I've ever made." She smiled. "Well, _one of_ the best decisions." Her expression faltered. "Now I just wonder why it took me so long to... get over my, uh, hesitations."

Anna tilted her head, face pinching slightly as if trying to remember something. "I'm _pretty sure_ I said I'd be willing to wait twenty years for this, Snowflake. I don't think you took long at all." She snuggled closer, stroking low across the blonde's belly, not looking to entice but relishing that she had the privilege to touch Elsa like this. "Really, it just made the whole thing special. Like, more special than it already was. I feel like we... earned it."

The blonde chuckled. " _Earned_ it?"

"Yeah. Like, remember when we talked about this? The first time, I mean, and I told you it was okay if you didn't want me?" She could already see the annoyance in Elsa's face at her word choice but pressed on before the correction could be made. "You were so nervous and scared and confused back then and I wasn't much better and now, here we are." Anna gestured to their room, lips splitting into a wide smile she simply couldn't contain. "We've come so far, Snowflake. This is just another milestone for us." With considerable effort, she forced her expression into one of pointed scrutiny and directed it at the blonde. "Unless you were just using me for my body this whole time and you're about to kick me out now that you got what you wanted."

"I'd sooner kick you out for being a smartass, and that's one of the reasons I love you," Elsa replied with a smirk, Anna's attempt at a straight face crumbling instantly as they exchanged a few more light kisses. "You have a point, though. This... this feels right."

The redhead beamed, finding a matching expression on her girlfriend's face. "Yeah, it does."

They settled down, almost ready to go to sleep... until Anna had a sudden thought that made her squirm a little, caught between wanting to find out the answer to the question now burning in her mind and allowing her beloved to sleep.

"Sunshine? What are you doing?" The blonde looked over her shoulder, raising a brow.

With the beginnings of a blush suffusing her cheeks, Anna ducked her head. "Heh, well, um... I just thought of something, that's all."

"Thought of what?"

Uh oh. Now she had the blonde's full attention. Shit.

"Well... those condoms were the chocolate flavored ones my parents gave you, right?"

"... yes?"

"Okay, so, if the chocolate flavor was on the outside... and the outside was rubbing against your insides... do you taste like chocolate now?"

That had to be the single most embarrassing question she'd ever asked, blush burning in full force from her neck up to the tips of her ears. It was a totally _valid_ question, of course it was, but... well... maybe she let her love of chocolate and Elsa temporarily eclipse her sense. If the blonde kicked her out-

Elsa suddenly rolled onto her back, throwing her a downright sexy smirk. "Are you volunteering to find out?"

Like she needed to be asked twice. Without giving a verbal answer, she leaned in for a grateful kiss before working her way lower to her prize.

Only to, quite promptly, forget everything she'd been taught and freak the fuck out. "OH MY GOD, DID I KILL YOU?"

"What?"

"YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"Oh, right... I forgot about that."

* * *

It took three full minutes for Elsa to calm her down and for Anna to remember that, yes, sometimes women bleed when losing their virginity and, no, it wasn't _that_ bad once she was rather forcibly delivered a reality check.

They ended up taking a shower together and changing the sheets, neither too upset about the ruined linens as they settled down for bed a second time.

At least, they started to settle... but then Anna remembered that her questioned was still unanswered. Of course, what with the shower, she couldn't really check... until Elsa reached over and grabbed another condom from the drawer, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Sleep's overrated anyway.

* * *

By some strange miracle, Anna awoke first. She spent a good fifteen minutes just listening to Elsa's breathing, watching the blonde sleep in her arms with a fond smile, before slipping out of bed without disturbing her lover. As quietly as she could, Anna assembled all the ingredients for breakfast and started cooking, softly humming to herself.

" _My dearest friend if you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side._ " She smiled, just finishing up the eggs as Elsa began singing. Turning away from the stove, the redhead caught sight of her girlfriend entering the kitchen wearing her jean jacket- yup, still highly effective- and little else. " _Where we can gaze into the stars..._ "

" _And stay together, now and forever._ " Anna joined in, setting the skillet on a cool burner and welcoming her lover into her arms. " _For it's plain, as anyone can see, we're simply meant to be._ "

Accepting a kiss, Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist, sighing contentedly. "Shame there's no full moon and star filled night for us to watch."

"It depends on your perspective," Elsa replied, gently tilting Anna's chin up until their gazes met. "In your eyes, I see the light of a million stars shining."

"Funny. My view is remarkably similar." She smiled, leaning in for another slow, lingering kiss. "Now, come on, let's eat before our food gets cold."

"Lead the way," the blonde said, allowing Anna to pull her over to the table and waiting until she'd pulled out the chair before sitting down. Anna quickly brought their plates over, loaded with their favorite breakfast foods, and cups of coffee.

They ate in a comfortable, glowing silence, enjoying the subtle shift in their relationship. Anna couldn't stop smiling, though it had only a little to do with their physical activities the night before- really, she was more excited that things hadn't seem to change between them despite the monumental build-up than actually having sex. It was the biggest hurdle that they had to face in their relationship and they'd cleared it without stumbling.

Well, without stumbling much.

Okay, so they still had issues to work through, and maybe new ones would crop up, but when she reached out to take the blonde's hands in hers, Elsa didn't shy away, instead giving her a brilliant smile and leaning in to kiss her.

In that moment, she was completely content to bask in the warmth.

* * *

Two weeks later, she was no longer content.

* * *

Author's Note: First, I realize this chapter is shorter than the others; I thought it would be better for their first time and the following morning to stand alone. Second, I have literally waited since _The Kingdom_ to use the 'do you taste like chocolate now' line. (And if you're wondering why, it's because _Alone, Together_ is one of my favorite KiGo fics.) (Also, this isn't the last time something I set up in the previous fics gets a payoff.) Next, this will be the last smut section y'all see. At least, for a while, maybe? Unlike the other installments to the series, OTaO wasn't _fully_ completed before I started posting. All the _major_ sections were finished, and obviously up to this point, but there are still portions on the back end that I'm working on as they come to me. Probably won't come up again, though, just referenced occasionally. Also, thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer** : I don't own anything. I'm _so_ sorry this chapter's late. Yesterday ended up involving more Adult Responsibilities than I accounted for originally, so by the time I got back to where I _could_ update, I was too exhausted. Sorry about that. And, uh... if last chapter didn't tick you off, I have a feeling this one might. Hold onto your hats, people; this is a bit of a ride.

* * *

Anna bit her lip, glancing at her watch briefly before her gaze roved over the display case once more. Jewelry had never been her thing, for some reason, so all the glittering stones and bands within the case were a bit... intimidating. Sure, she'd wear rings, bracelets, and necklaces from time to time but never 'shopped' for them herself. Most of her collection were gifts, and all but the Snowflake necklace and promise ring saw little wear over the years. Part of the reason Anna wore them those two every day, of course, was the meaning behind them, but they still managed to fit her personality, not too flashy while still drawing attention. Despite the bright color- or perhaps because of it- Elsa's matching pieces looked amazing next to her pale skin and hair.

So how the _hell_ was Anna going to pick out a suitable engagement ring?

Anna groaned quietly, slipping away from the shop while the attendant was distracted. She was supposed to meet Elsa, Olaf, and Marshall- the two brothers were in the country, something to do with Marshall's imminent takeover of the conglomerate; she was a bit preoccupied to catch all the details- at the mall's food court for a quick meal with the visiting brothers between classes and work. Stopping by the jewelry store was a planned detour but the idea itself had started weighing on her mind more and more over the past few weeks.

Elsa hadn't mentioned anything about weddings, avoiding the subject entirely after her father pushed for it a bit too hard during their trip to The Netherlands. Anna had tried broaching the subject a time or two, wondering if Elsa even _wanted_ to get married, but only earned a shy smile and a vague 'one day' in reply or a rant about her father's attitude, depending on how she asked.

The redhead, on the other hand, couldn't seem to accept 'one day' as a suitable answer, not without something to _prove_ that that was their intention. Okay, maybe 'prove' wasn't the best word, but Elsa deserved to have some sort of physical confirmation that Anna was more than willing to wait for 'one day' to come along, that she was as dedicated to this relationship as humanly possible.

Maybe she was just being impatient. Their entire relationship had progressed at a slow pace- by some standards- but to them, it was perfect, and she wouldn't change a thing about that! With their one year anniversary behind them, though, and in light of the revelation of that night, it was becoming impossible to picture a future without the blonde beside her. She wanted people to know that, she wanted _Elsa_ to know that.

Or, maybe some part of her just wanted to be the one to propose. After all, Elsa had given her a necklace and a ring, both of which at critical points in their relationship that signified and strengthened their bond. Wasn't it her turn to leave the blonde speechless with a gesture of utmost sincerity?

"Anna!" Olaf's voice jostled her from her thoughts as he rushed through the mostly empty mall, Marshall not far behind. As the young man's spindly arms wrapped around her waist, Anna couldn't help but smile. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Hey, Olaf, it's great to see you again!" Anna returned the embrace with one arm, extending the other to his brother. "You too, big guy."

"Hey there, Firecracker." Marshall shook her hand, tapping his brother's shoulder forcefully. "Careful there, brother. Her Majesty might not like you clinging to her like that. She hides it well but you know she's got a serious jealous streak."

Olaf immediately released the redhead, chuckling softly. "Elsa's so lucky, you know. You have the warmest hugs, Anna!"

"Thanks, Olaf." Anna laughed, looking around quickly as Marshall suggested grabbing a table and waiting for Elsa to arrive. They'd hardly taken their seats when she cleared her throat. "Hey, guys? Could we, uh, talk a minute? I... I need some help."

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged, turning their full attention to her. "We're all ears, Firecracker."

"Yeah, what's on your mind?"

"Well..." Anna swallowed, a little nervous and a little giddy as the words left her mouth. "I want to propose to Elsa but I'm having trouble picking out a ring."

Again, the brothers looked at each other, this time confusion playing across their features. Marshall raised a brow while Olaf cocked his head to the side.

"Aren't you already?"

Anna blinked at the brothers. "Already what?"

"Engaged!" Olaf laughed, reaching across the table to take her right hand in his left, tapping a finger against her ring.

"Wait, what?" She shook her head and chuckled. "Olaf, that's my _promise_ ring!"

"What's the difference?" Olaf gestured with the hand still holding hers. "I mean, you say 'promise' like it means something different. Does it? We don't really have a 'promise ring' tradition where we come from, so I have no clue what significance you're implying with that word."

Anna glanced at Marshall, noting the younger brother seemed equally baffled by the concept. "Well, a promise ring is..." She blinked. She'd never really thought about explaining the concept of a promise ring before. "Kinda like an engagement ring? But, instead of signifying a marriage, it signifies a serious relationship."

"Oh." Olaf looked at Marshall, still apparently lost.

The younger of the two cleared his throat. "So, uh, is that what Elsa said it meant, or what it means in America? I mean, did she _say_ that your relationship is serious and that's why she gave you the ring?"

Rolling her eyes, the redhead slouched in her seat. She'd no idea asking for help would be this difficult. "She said that this was her promise that, no matter what might come between us, she wanted to continue being part of my world. That she loved me."

Olaf grinned. "That sounds a lot like 'until death do we part', to me."

Anna opened her mouth to counter... and couldn't really offer anything aside from a, comparatively, lame response. "But... engagement rings are worn on the left. Like wedding rings."

The brothers exchanged small smiles and then Marshall leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. "I realize you might not be aware, but tradition in some European countries actually has the engagement and wedding rings worn on the _right_ hand." He shrugged. "When we were kids, Elsa decided she liked that tradition better than on the left, seeing as she's left handed and the jewelry would interfere with her writing. She never actually specified if you two were engaged or not, so seeing the matching rings, we sort of... assumed you were. She never corrected us."

"I... thought... I thought _kjæreste_ meant 'girlfriend'?"

"It can, but it can also be a... pet name?" Olaf furrowed his brows slightly. "It's like... 'dearest' in English, I think."

Anna blinked at them a few seconds more before looking down at her ring. Was that what Elsa had meant? Had the blonde decided, back in _February_ , that she was worthy of holding Elsa's heart? That was more than six months ago!

Was the blonde just waiting for Anna to figure it out?

Suddenly, Anna's entire world was turned on its head. That entire debacle with Vanessa, Elsa's hesitations, the trip to The Netherlands, their anniversary... all that, through everything, Elsa had fully intended to _marry_ her?

Once, what felt like a lifetime ago, Anna's inner voice would be pointing out everything wrong with that train of thought, with that optimism, all the while warning about how she was leaping to conclusions because her life didn't get that good. Now, though, she was piecing things together, getting a much clearer picture. Elsa's nervousness about it being an 'appropriate' amount of time, how she'd never once actually referred to the ring specifically, how she felt practically _obligated_ regarding sex- now Anna had _context_ for everything.

Elsa wasn't thinking of them in terms of girlfriends through all that. Heck, she'd only ever _called_ Anna her girlfriend a handful of times, always after a pause, as if she was searching for the right word. She was thinking of Anna as her _fiancée_ , the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, _share_ the rest of her life with, share _everything_ with, through _all_ of that.

"Sorry I'm late." Elsa's voice cut through everything as she appeared beside the table, slightly breathless. "I was helping with the inventory and-"

Anna jumped up, took two steps, and swept the blonde into her arms, claiming her lips in a bruising kiss. It briefly occurred to her that they were in the middle of a food court but she couldn't be bothered to care if the display of affection bothered other people. She was entirely enraptured by the way Elsa instantly melted into her embrace and matched her intensity, breaking away only once both of them were breathless.

The blonde smiled, obviously curious but Anna beat her to the punch.

"Yes," she said, smiling so wide her cheeks hurt.

Elsa raised a brow. "Yes?"

"Yes." Anna followed Elsa's arms until she could take the blonde's hands in her own, running her thumb along the metal of the ring on her right hand. "For now and forever, yes, Snowflake."

Elsa's eyes grew wide, her gaze flicking towards Olaf and Marshall briefly. "Y-yes?"

"Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren, I would absolutely _love_ to be your wife." She tilted her head forward until their foreheads touched. "Will you be mine?"

Tears pricked at her eyes as Elsa began tearing up, a happy smile stretching her lips as wide as Anna's. "Yes, for now, forever. I love you, my Sunshine."

"I love you too, my precious Snowflake."

They kissed again, stopping only when Marshall tapped them on the shoulder to remind them about lunch, given they were all on a rather limited schedule. Anna and Elsa blushed but laughed, heading off to grab food and sit down with the brothers.

The remainder of their break spent hearing about the exploits of the Frossen brothers. There was a brief mention of Merida- apparently, she had wanted to come along too, but her parents had required her to remain in Scotland for something- and the couple promised to keep the three of them appraised of any future developments.

Which, they would talk about when they got home, of course, seeing as they were finally on the same page.

* * *

As it turned out, there was very little talking involved, really.

"YOU PROPOSED TO ME WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME!? WHO DOES THAT!?" Yes, Anna was shouting, but the wide smile on her lips really diminished any possible confusion about whether or not she was actually upset. It also helped that her girlf- her _fiancée_ was laughing so hard, she had to talk louder anyway just to be heard. "DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD FIGURE IT OUT ON MY OWN!? WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO CLUE ME IN, ELSA!?"

"I- oh- God, Anna- I- Sorry! Sorry!" The blonde in question thrashed, trying valiantly to dislodge the woman straddling her hips and push away the hands digging into her sides, tickling her mercilessly. Her chest heaved, desperately trying to breathe between laughing fits and her pleas. "Plea- Anna, plea- Stop! Stop!"

"NOT UNTIL I'M TIRED!" It was hard to even pretend she was upset about the whole fiasco. Not while she was hovering over the woman she loved so dearly, admiring the strain in every muscle as she moved, digging her fingers in a little more. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU COULDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A HINT? JUST A 'ONE DAY' LIKE I'M SOME SORT OF PSYCHIC?"

"Can't- can't breath- you- killing me!"

"YOU'RE STILL TALKING! YOU'RE FINE! NOW TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A WOMAN!"

"Are you- oh, no! No! Serious?" Talking became significantly harder after that, Anna leaning down to blow a raspberry against Elsa's throat. She was nearly head-butted in the process but it was entirely worth it, the temporary shift in her body weight giving the blonde just enough room to turn over in an attempt to escape the torment. She didn't get away, though, as Anna waited until Elsa was on her belly before settling her weight down again, pressing against her fiancée's back. "A-anna!"

"Sh, Snowflake, we wouldn't want to wake the neighbors, now would we?" Her voice held a teasing edge, fingers no longer trying to tickle the woman beneath her as they traced up her sides. Anna shuffled a little higher, carefully nipping at Elsa's ear.

"Really? _Now_ you're concerned about making noise?" The blonde tried sounding annoyed but the moan that erupted from her derailed that attempt, her body responding to Anna's touch. "Sunshine."

"I love you, Snowflake, but from now on, how about we be a little bit more forthcoming about our intentions, hmmm?"

"I wasn't hiding anything! I just didn't want to rush you." She protested, arching up into the redhead's body, tilting her head to allow for better access. "I love you, too."

Anna lightly nibbled on Elsa's neck, arms pushing beneath the blonde's body, one hand working beneath her shirt while the other dipped low. She could feel arousal rising within her, nevermind they were in the middle of the living room, but restrained herself a bit longer. The was one question she _needed_ answered before she could truly accept the development as real, not some figment of her imagination.

"When did you know?" She whispered into Elsa's ear, tracing idle circles on the woman's skin with her fingertips. "That I was the one? When did you know, Snowflake?"

Breathing heavily, the blonde paused, slowly rolling over once more so they could see each other. Blue eyes watched her for a moment, filled with so much emotion Anna could hardly imagine what was going through her head, and then Elsa spoke.

"When did I not know?" She reached up, drawing Anna into a slow kiss by the back of her neck. When they separated, it was by mere inches, their breath mingling between them. "I can't put a date on it, Sunshine."

"You can't?" Anna grinned slightly, not entirely satisfied with the answer but willing to accept it.

" _But_..." Elsa continued, apparently unimpressed with her interruption. "I knew I loved you like no one else two weeks after the ice rink, when I couldn't see or hear from you and it was like there was a hole in my chest." Another kiss, soft and sensual. "I knew that I was missing you my whole life when I woke up New Year's Day and you were the first thing I saw." A gentle nudge to roll the redhead onto her back. It didn't even occur to her to resist. "I knew that I would never reclaim my heart from you when we were at the park, dancing while your friends serenaded us." Elsa swung one leg over her, straddling her hips, effectively reversing their positions. "However, when did I know that I wanted you and only you? It was when we were on your couch, just like this, and you told me that our relationship shouldn't dictate what decisions I made." One hand cupped her jaw, thumb brushing along her cheek, and Anna leaned into the touch. "You called me a goddess, you _wanted_ me so badly, and yet in your eyes, all I saw was love and adoration overpowering the lust. Unfaltering. In that moment, I knew that, no matter what, our relationship _was_ my life. My life with you." Their foreheads touched, eyes closing and Anna could _swear_ their hearts were beating in time. "That it didn't matter how scared I was or how hard things got, what might come between us- IKEA, my family, your family, sex, whatever life had in store- I wanted to be with you and only you." A drop of wetness fell onto her cheek and she instinctively moved, kissing Elsa's tears away. "I didn't know if you felt the same back then, if you'd say yes. I thought you might say no out of principle, given how adamant and selfless you were about our relationship, so I waited. But I had to do _something_ to remind myself that I would do whatever it took to not lose you. Not again, _never_ again."

"Oh, Elsa." Her voice was barely above a choked sob, not expecting the answer to make her heart clench so painfully. "I'm so sorry, I-"

The blonde silenced her with a kiss, a hand fisting in crimson locks to hold her in place. She wrapped her arms around her fiancée's waist, keen on keeping their bodies as closely entangled as possible.

They broke away, breathless once again. "Don't, Anna. Don't apologize. Please." The tears had stopped but Elsa's voice was still thick with emotion, though there was a positive lilt to her tone. "We're past that now, no reason to go back."

"But I made you wait-"

"To paraphrase the love of my life," the blonde said, a smirk on her lips. "I waited over twenty years to find you. Waiting twenty more with you by my side would be nothing."

She laughed, unable to stop it, and leaned up for another kiss, letting her hands roam and moaning when Elsa returned the favor. Words failed her, seemingly forgotten as their passionate embrace continued. Anna, personally, was quite in favor with continuing things in this vein, whining petulantly when the blonde stopped them and got up. "Where are you going, Snowflake?"

Her fiancée didn't respond until she was at the doorway to their bedroom, throwing an absolutely smoldering look over her shoulder. "To get a condom, of course. I'll be right back."

She was _extremely_ inclined to offer some sort of rebuttal but, for some reason, said nothing as Elsa disappeared into the bedroom, relaxing back into the plush carpet for a few moments. Then, her mischievous side kicked in, prompting her to get up and sneak around to the kitchen, hiding just out of sight as the blonde returned.

"Sunshine?" Elsa tilted her head in confusion as the woman she was looking for snuck up behind her, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist and attacking her neck with teeth and tongue. "Wha- _oh_ , Anna."

The redhead trailed her tongue up, nibbling on her fiancée's ear before whispering huskily. "I have something different in mind."

"But-"

She reached up and easily pulled the condom from between Elsa's fingers, tossing it onto the coffee table. "We'll get to it later. Promise."

Using her hips to drive her forward, Anna coaxed the blonde up against the back of the couch, encouraging her to hold onto the piece of furniture for support. She fully intended to spend the next several hours lavishing her fiancée with every pleasure she could think of, the only way to properly articulate the warmth that refused to leave her chest.

Later, when they were both spent, laying naked together as their racing hearts slowed and sleep called to them, Anna could still feel it, the incredible strength of the love she had for the woman in her arms, which was returned tenfold. It broke her heart all over again when she thought back to the ice rink, the moment she gave up and shut the blonde out of her life, convinced she would never be worthy of her precious Snowflake.

Hearing the events from Elsa's perspective, while reopening the wound, also gave her a chance to truly heal. She'd thought she put all of it behind her when she'd laid Hans out during Elsa's birthday party but that had only been a balm. _This_ was healing, washing away the ugly scars that her heart bore up until meeting her fiancée. In truth, she still didn't feel worthy to have such indescribable power over the other woman. It was scary, too, because Elsa held the same power over her, and it was somewhat terrifying to be that vulnerable to someone else, especially after everything she'd been through. All her hesitations, her reluctance and frustrations, every mistake she'd ever made stemmed from the rock solid belief she wasn't meant to find love. Then it literally stood right in front of her, and she walked away.

No more. She was going to defend it- their love, their relationship, her other half, her world- with tooth and nail. She wasn't going to let her insecurities get in the way any more. She wasn't going to let her head or anyone else fool her into forgetting what her heart had kept trying to tell her all this time. They could overcome anything, together. They could weather any storm.

"I love you, Elsa," she said softly, not trying to rouse the blonde but doing so anyway. Her lover shifted, rising onto her elbows and looking down at her, the softest gleam in her blue eyes.

"I love you, Anna," she replied, leaning down for a languid kiss. "And we're getting married."

Anna felt the smile on her lips stretch wide, just as wide as the one she saw hovering above her. "Yeah, yeah we are."

Suddenly, the blonde's eyes widened, her smile turning into a sly smirk. "And I call dibs on wearing the tuxedo."

The redhead felt her jaw pop open as, in her mind's eye, she pictured her fiancée wearing the form fitting suit, waiting for her at the alter. "I might not survive the ceremony."

"Oh, you will." Elsa began peppering her jaw with kisses. "You'll want to make it to the honeymoon, after all."

She laughed, rolling them over and capturing the blonde's lips with hers, their energy suddenly returning for one more round.

* * *

The redhead fidgeted in her seat, glowering at the computer screen and checking the clock constantly. It was Wednesday night and, rather than the usual call from Ingvar before his morning meetings, this little conference would be a very special one indeed.

"Sunshine?" Elsa called from the doorway, laughing lightly as the redhead groaned. "Impatient tonight, are we?"

"Well, _we_ aren't; _you_ seem to be enjoying yourself quite thoroughly." Anna good-naturedly groused, looking up as her _fiancée_ \- she still wasn't quite over how amazing that word was- draped her arms over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. While the redhead was waiting for the Skype call to come through, Elsa had graciously shown Anna's parents around their apartment after dinner. "Has my mom stopped with the embarrassing stories?"

"They're not embarrassing... for me."

"And that's my answer." She laughed, accepting the kiss to her lips as they were joined by Anna's parents.

"I hope we're not intruding-" The telltale clicking noise of a cell phone's camera. "-but may I add that the lighting in this room is incredible."

"And you two are _adorable_ ," Bulda said, giggling at her phone. "Cliff, how do I send pictures again?"

"Just hit the little button, honey. No, the other one. I think."

Two more clicks. "Cliff, did you get the picture?"

"I think you took two more, honey."

With a groan, Anna reluctantly pulled herself away from Elsa and got up, going over to her mother. "Technology is not as confusing as you two pretend it is."

Click.

"Mom, stop touching things. Period." She held out her hand. "Give me the phone."

"Anna, be nice." Elsa chided, standing just behind her as another click sounded.

"Mom, seriously-" Anna cut off as her phone suddenly started buzzing in her pocket. She checked it real quick, rolling her eyes affectionately. "Okay, did you _mean_ to send them to me?"

"Of course!" Bulda smiled, reaching out to pat her shoulder. "Since you won't let us have Elsa's number, you'll have to send them to her!"

"That's very kind of you, Bulda." The blonde smiled, looking over Anna's shoulder as she thumbed through the pictures. They actually turned out pretty good and she found herself smiling at Elsa's expression in them, caught somewhere between amused and adoring. Anna, on the other hand, was caught between amusement and annoyance. "Although, if you'd like my number-"

"Oh no, don't do it Snowflake, it's a trap!" She pulled a horrified face, earning a laugh from the blonde. "You think I'm kidding!"

"No, I think you're exaggerating, which you have a tendency to do, my love." Elsa wrapped her arms around her, sneaking a quick kiss. In retaliation, Anna coaxed her into a longer kiss, immediately realizing her mistake when she heard another click.

"Got it!"

"Very nice. We should print it out and frame it."

"You're both horrible forever." Anna ignored her parents- and her phone- as she nuzzled into Elsa's neck, lowering her voice. "This was a bad idea, you know."

"So far, I see absolutely _no_ evidence to support that theory," she replied, a smile on her lips. "In fact, we should do this more often."

The Skype call, thankfully, came at just the right time, and Anna quickly went over to the computer to accept it, smiling as Ingvar and Idunn's smiling faces filled the screen.

" _Good morning_!"

" _Good evening_!" Ingvar replied, smiling wide. Unlike their previous international calls, the CEO of IKEA opted to remain home for this one, pushing his meetings back so they could all sit down and talk. "But I think it would be best if we conversed in English, yes?"

"Probably." Elsa waved over Anna's parents. "Cliff and Bulda, allow me to introduce you to my parents, Ingvar and Idunn. Mother, Father-"

"Oh hush, Sweetheart, I'm sure they know who we are!" Bulda laughed, taking a seat in Anna's chair while Cliff took Elsa's. "And I'm sure they're just as happy as we are to finally be meeting!"

"Indeed, we're absolutely ecstatic." Ingvar's eyes sparkled as he nodded in the redhead's direction. "Your daughter is a joy."

"And yours is lovely as well." Cliff smiled. "Much better mannered than our little heathen."

"Seriously. We're surprised you didn't kick her out while she was visiting!" Bulda chimed in, prompting the two sets of parents to laugh while Anna buried her face in her hands.

"I'm going to die of embarrassment, I swear." She groaned, barely resisting when Elsa pulled her hands away.

The blonde smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. "You'll be fine. You better be, anyway. I'll be highly upset if the love of my life submitted to something so silly as embarrassment."

Wrapping her arms around Elsa, the redhead quickly tuned out her parents as she focused on breathing in her beloved's perfume, allowing the warm embrace to lull her into a calm, peaceful state. It was a welcomed reprieve from all the stress.

After they... celebrated their engagement privately, both women had contacted their parents to arrange a video call between everyone for introductions, and so they could schedule the inevitable face-to-face meeting, but they hadn't shared the actual news quite yet. They'd talked at length about what marriage would entail, burning through some of the excitement by remembering their parents' respective and less than flattering fixations. Breaking the news to them would likely be a headache in and of itself, not to mention the fallout. Luckily, they weren't in any rush; Elsa was certain her father would have the wedding planned and in-progress before the week was out if they didn't take as much time to put off the announcement as they wanted. Anna was half certain her parents would volunteer to plan the honeymoon, complete with plenty of 'fun activities' that would mostly land them in bed.

They were a surprisingly predictable bunch.

Seeing as Anna's side of the house thought they were just dating and Elsa's was convinced they were already engaged and just waiting for both of them to finish school, they agreed to leave things at that for a while longer.

All Anna and Elsa had to do in the meantime was weather the storm of their combined parents' ridiculousness, which mainly translated to putting up with Ingvar's not-so-subtle insistence on grandchildren. Luckily, Bulda and Cliff were staunch supporters of whatever the two of them wanted for _their_ relationship, so they trusted the redhead's parents with keeping Ingvar in check. Completely forgetting, of course, that Bulda was also a bit obsessed with 'helping' along the physical side of their relationship.

Bad. Decision.

"Now, about this whole grandchildren issue." Bulda fixed the computer screen with a stern face while hiking her thumb over one shoulder. "While we're just as eager to have them as you two are, first thing's first. We need to work together to get these two on track! Lord knows they aren't going to figure this whole sex thing out on their own!"

"I couldn't agree more," Ingvar replied, leaning forward in his seat. "Do you have a plan of action in mind?"

"Wait, what, what are you two doing? Stop it!" Anna tried reaching out to throttle her mother but Elsa's arms held her back, somehow. "Elsa!"

"They're just kidding, Sunshine, calm down."

"I was thinking that we should lock 'em in a room- naked, of course- and let nature take its course." Bulda crossed her arms over her chest. "They can't _possibly_ hold out much longer on that front."

"One would think; I'm honestly surprised it's taken this long." Ingvar nodded gravely.

Both young women rolled their eyes, Anna out of exasperation while Elsa still seemed highly amused. How the blonde could handle this level of ridiculousness was _beyond_ her.

"Well, to be fair to them, it seems nature _has_ taken its due course. Several times, in fact." Cliff drawled, scratching at his cheek.

This time, Elsa stiffened, a bright blush coming to her cheeks.

"Dad." Anna whined, huffing out a breath, option to try her hand at denying the implication. She'd never really lied to her parents before, so they'd believe a little white lie now, right? "Knock it off. Nature hasn't 'taken its course' at all."

Denial. Denial was her friend.

The moment she saw his grin, the redhead realized she'd walked straight into a trap. "The state of your waste basket says otherwise, my dear."

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, matched only by the woman in her arms as both sets of parents started laughing- hers uproariously while Elsa's at least hid their amusement behind their hands. Idly, Anna took some solace in the fact that Elsa's parents, apparently, had a vastly improved sense of humor than she'd originally guessed. Not that she found this situation funny in the slightest but she could probably look back one day and get a laugh out of it; really, she just needed to find a bright side before she met a mortifying end.

Rather than contemplate her future amusement, Anna started running her hands up and down Elsa's back soothingly while glaring at her parents.

"What we do in _our_ bedroom is _our_ business! And so is the issue of kids, for that matter! We've been over this!"

That just set off another round of laughter.

"Oh, we know, Anna, but it _has_ been over a year." Bulda smiled. "We just thought you two might need a little more nudging." She turned towards her husband. "Good eye, honey, I didn't even think to check their trash!"

"We _had_ hoped you would tell us once you became sexually active though, Anna." Cliff gently chided, exchanging a look with Ingvar. "Not that we're complaining, of course. We just would've liked to celebrate the news."

Ingvar smiled. "I think this calls for a cigar and some champagne."

Anna rolled her eyes. " _Far_ , normal parents don't celebrate when their kids have sex. That's just weird."

"Normal parents don't have exceptionally wonderful children whose happiness in all things is absolutely paramount," Ingvar replied, raising a brow in challenge.

Luckily, Elsa came to her rescue. Somewhat. "I'm quite certain every parent believes their children are exceptionally wonderful, Father."

"That may be, but they aren't exceptionally wonderful as you two, and I'll fight any who would say otherwise." Ingvar's lips twitched into a wider smile. "Provided Anna would be willing to give me boxing lessons."

The parents chuckled again and, this time, their offspring joined them, their embarrassment dying down a little.

"But seriously, can we cool our collective jets on the grandchildren front?" Anna raised a brow as Ingvar frowned.

"We're just trying to help plan for the future, Anna-" He was cut off by a hand on his arm from Idunn, who seemed to be the only one on their side. Which was weird, in a sense, but Anna wasn't about to complain. "Of course, if there's a good reason for us to back off-"

"Father," Elsa said, seeming to have recovered completely and with that super serious look in her eyes that meant whoever addressed her next better think over their words carefully. "You're talking to two women who are finally having amazing sex on a regular basis." She raised a brow. "Are you _really_ telling us to add a child to the mix?"

There was a moment of silence in which Anna wasn't sure if she should be beaming with pride- hey, her lover thought she was _amazing_ , that was totally something to be a little smug about- or flushing in further embarrassment.

And then the battle was over quickly because she couldn't hide the smile that erupted as she snuck a quick kiss onto the blonde's cheek.

Finally, Ingvar coughed into one hand, looking appropriately chastised. "I... really thought you were too young to remember that."

Leaving the redhead's embrace, Elsa made to exit the room, but stopped at the doorway to throw over her shoulder: "Why do you think I became a lesbian?"

Almost immediately, Cliff and Bulda busted out laughing while it was Ingvar and Idunn's turn to be mortified, though they remained rather dignified through the red rising in their cheeks. Anna would've _loved_ nothing more than to somehow embarrass her own parents, just to keep things even, but had learned long ago that both of them were infuriatingly impervious to anything remotely resembling the sensation.

Instead, she closed the door and set her fists on her hips, fixing both sets of parents with a serious look. "When I said I wanted to talk to you four without Elsa, I didn't mean _embarrass_ her into leaving!"

Bulda, still chuckling and wiping tears from her eyes, gave a helpless shrug. "Sweetheart, you weren't exactly that specific when you originally told us."

"And it was pretty effective, if I do say so myself." Cliff grinned, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and offering it to his wife. Ingvar and Idunn had recovered, for the most part, and were smiling pleasantly as they waited for Anna to continue.

Her piece was relatively quick, which meant she could excuse herself to seek out her girlfriend and ensure the blonde wasn't suffering alone, because she could hardly stand her own parents' teasing for more than a few hours, so she had no idea how the blonde had managed to be such a gracious host. She was pretty sure their parents would use the time to talk about the Arens' impending visit to the States and some part of her was desperately hoping they weren't plotting anything nefarious behind their daughters' backs.

Heading into the living room, Anna blinked in surprise when she was confronted with Elsa putting on her bluejean jacket, car keys in hand.

"Snowflake?" She tried to keep her tone light, slightly concerned but not wanting to add any further stress to the blonde. Sometimes, parents drove their kids up the wall, and driving a vehicle aimlessly was a great stress relief in those times; she'd done the same with her own parents enough. Still, she couldn't very well just let Elsa leave without trying to help. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm going to the store," she said offhandedly, hand on the doorknob. "Your Dad reminded me that we're out of condoms."

Anna laughed, slightly relieved. "I can pick some up tomorrow-"

"We can't use them tonight if you pick them up tomorrow, Sunshine." Elsa winked, gliding out of the apartment without waiting for a response, leaving the redhead alone in the entryway as another blush suffused her cheeks.

It occurred to her that there was some sort of reverse psychology going on and her parents did this on purpose but whatever negative thoughts associated with that idea quickly melted away, replaced by some strange mix of pride and happiness and love.

Because, again, _her beautiful, wonderful, sweet, kind, loving **fiancée** wanted to have sex with **her**_ and that was more than a little amazing, even a month later.

No one could really blame her, right?

* * *

A few days later, Anna was gently shaken awake, blinking blearily up at the blonde. They'd opted for a movie and some take-out but she must've fallen asleep at some point, curled up on Elsa's chest.

"Hey." She drawled, voice thick from sleep.

"Hey, Sleepyhead." Elsa smiled and the redhead couldn't find it in her to resist, using her arms to push herself up and steal a quick kiss. "Rough day?"

"Busy week." She yawned, tucking her head back under the blonde's chin. "School. Work. Parents. Life. I don't like being an adult, sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Yeah. 'Cause then I remember I have _you_ to be an adult with, and I like that part." Anna's lips curled into a smile as she listened to the way Elsa's chuckle started deep in her chest and exploded out.

"I like that part, too. It certainly makes things better." Anna felt her eyes flutter as the blonde began combing through her hair with deft fingers, gently massaging her head. "Think we can move to the bed?"

"Hmmm, in a minute." With some effort, she levered herself up again, claiming Elsa's lips in a longer kiss and parting reluctantly. "We were supposed to talk about something before I fell asleep."

"Well, we were going to come up with ideas about what to do with our parents when they finally meet. I suppose dinner of some sort would be appropriate."

Forcing herself slightly more awake than the hazy, almost dreamlike consciousness from before, Anna gave the idea some thought. "The weather should be nice for late fall. How about a picnic at the park?"

"Our park?" Elsa raised a brow, prompting a chuckle from the redhead.

"I'm not sure if we can claim ownership of an entire park."

"I think we can; it's special to us."

"Yeah." Tired of supporting herself, Anna sank down into her fiancée's embrace once more, pressing soft kisses against her neck. "I guess you're right."

Elsa let out a breathy little moan as the redhead gently nipped at her skin. "Hmmm, you need to make a decision, Sunshine. Either we talk, we go to bed, or we have some fun. I don't think I can handle all three at once."

"I thought you were the queen of multitasking." Anna teased, taking the blonde's earlobe between her teeth.

Elsa's breath hitched, hands wandering beneath the redhead's shirt, nails lightly trailing along her back. "Keep this up and I'm making the decision."

"I'm tempted to see how that works out." She pressed another kiss just behind her lover's ear before getting off the couch. "But I'll be merciful. So a picnic at _our_ park. Should we invite our glamorous posse of comrades?" She paused, mid-stride, in her journey to the kitchen to retrieve a pen and pad of paper. "That would include Eugene."

Elsa came up behind her, chuckling in her ear as slim arms wrapped around the redhead's waist. "I would love nothing better than introducing him to my mother. She once told me that 'boys aren't as difficult to raise as girls' and I would enjoy seeing if that perspective changes."

"Using my friends to torment your mother isn't going to win me any brownie points with her, you know."

"I don't think she's the one you should be worrying about, Sunshine." Teeth lightly tugged at her earlobe, eliciting a small gasp from the redhead. "Brownie points get you much farther with _me_ than my mother."

"Fair point. I'll let them know. To be honest, I can't wait until Merida and Eugene meet. _That_ is going to be something to watch." She tilted her head, accepting a kiss over her shoulder. "What's next on the agenda, then?"

Elsa was quiet a moment, taking a deep, calming breath before releasing it. "Are you sure you want to tell them?"

"I'm sure. Are you?" She turned in the blonde's arms, returning the embrace and watching the emotions play over her lover's face. "If you want to put it off-"

"No. Some part of me is absolutely terrified of dealing with my father when he finds out his little girl is getting married, but..." And there was that radiant smile again, lighting up her lover's face as her excitement started shining through. "At the same time, I can't wait for it. I'd always dreaded this day before you, Sunshine. Now I can't stop thinking about it."

"Neither can I, soon to be _Missus_ Aren."

"Oh, so we're taking my surname?" The blonde's smile faltered. "Maybe we should talk about that. It's not a requirement-"

Anna just rolled her eyes and laughed. " _Of course_ I'm taking your name, Snowflake! I'm not about to fight World War Three with your father about it, for one, and, honestly, I love my parents, I do, but Andersen's a little... plain." Her nose scrunched up. "And strangely prone to misspelling."

Her fiancée chuckled, shaking her head. "But..."

"Shush, I'm _sure_ about this." The redhead tilted her head. "And you have to admit, Mrs. Anna Aren has a bit of a ring to it. I may have been doodling it in notebooks during lectures for a while now."

"I..." Her jaw worked without sound. "Well... if you're sure." Elsa seemed to accept it that time, a tremulous smile claiming her lips. "I guess that's taken care of, then. What else haven't we thought about yet?"

"How about where we'll live?" Anna's hands started wandering, eventually drawn to the shapely hips barely concealed by bluejeans. "Not that I don't adore your parents but I'd rather, you know, _not_ have the feeling your Dad's sitting outside the door, listening intently every time we have sex, marking on a little calendar to see what the chances are of you getting pregnant, because I have no doubt a box of condoms wouldn't last more than a few hours before 'mysteriously' going missing in that house."

That got a full laugh out of the blonde. "Thank you for _that_ mental image." Her fiancée mulled the question over a moment, eyes going slightly unfocused. "I can get us our own place, parent-free, on the outskirts of Amsterdam. There's a block of houses we keep as temporary lodgings for our executives; I'm sure one can be converted to be used on a more permanent basis. It might mean a bit of a commute but I'd rather not live too close to the city."

"Okay, I'd like that. I'm more of a suburbs gal anyway. Did the city thing during the first year of college; no thanks." She was about to change topics when she noticed the hesitation on Elsa's part. "Snowflake? Something else on your mind?"

"Well... this might seem silly, but..." The blonde smiled, sneaking another kiss. "I want us to have an American home, too."

Anna blinked, turning that words over in her head. "Wait, what?" She hurried to correct herself, realizing that her tone was a bit too jarring given her level of surprise. "I mean, why would we have two houses? On different continents, too? Isn't that a bit... excessive?"

Elsa blushed, reaching up to finger her braid idly. "I realize it may seem a strange idea to you, but I spent most of my childhood in Norway while my father commuted between our home and the house they have in Amsterdam. It was... nice. When my father was in Norway- unless it was an emergency- he didn't work." She shook her head, seemingly becoming more confident in her words. "Remember when we first met? I told you I was from Norway without hesitation. I want... I want our children to be able to say they're Americans. To have a home here that will always be open to them." Excitement tinged her words as she took Anna's hands in hers, blue eyes sparkling. "Where have you always wanted to live? What kind of house? Describe to me your dream house, Sunshine, and I'll build it."

The redhead sucked in a breath, stunned. Part of it was the two houses idea, which she was trying her hardest to wrap her head around, and part of it was Elsa's heartfelt offer to build her a dream home. The majority of her brainpower, however, was dedicated to processing the comment about kids.

Elsa had made comments before, sure, but they weren't openly engaged at the time. The physical world fell away as the redhead allowed her imagination to supply the future her lover was describing. A house in The Netherlands for part of the year, a ranch style home on the outskirts of her hometown for the rest, a little blonde in her arms, a slightly bigger redhead running down the halls, trying to keep them both under control while grocery shopping, family movie night, long nights and early mornings and this really should be scary because a year ago she didn't even believe she could maintain a steady relationship, let alone anything _more_ , and here she was looking at a perfect future filled with hard times and rough spots, waiting for her because the woman in her arms wanted it just as badly, and that was so fucking perfect she just-

Anna snapped back to the present, noting the worry in Elsa's eyes and quickly pulling her in for a kiss, crushing their bodies together, until her knees were weak and they were both practically leaning on each other to stay standing. She hadn't even noticed the tears gathering in her eyes until they were falling down her cheeks.

"Sunshine?" The blonde was breathless and, damnit, she didn't care, she kissed her fiancée again, switching their positions until it was Elsa pressed against the wall, arms wrapped around her neck. "Wha- where?"

"I love you, Snowflake." The tears were still falling and she _really_ couldn't even care about it. "I love you so much and we can have as many houses as you want, but on one condition." No longer overly worried, the blonde brushed a stray lock of crimson hair behind her ear, listening attentively. "The house we build, where we raise our babies, I don't want it to be huge and flashy. Nothing we don't need. Just... enough."

Elsa tilted her head slightly. "Wouldn't that mean we'd need to define 'enough' before we build it?"

There was some part of her that conceded they would probably need to address that at some point- how many kids, when, all that- but she didn't want to dive into that conversation just yet. There was still way too much to talk about when it came to getting married; she wanted to drag things out a bit, really enjoy it. "I just mean that I don't want some twenty bedroom mansion with a ten car garage and diamond doorknobs."

"Okay, that's fair. I'm obviously not a fan of the ostentatious either." Elsa shot her a sly smirk, coupled with hooded eyes. "But I think the master bathroom should come with a tub that sits two rather comfortably. Maybe a Jacuzzi?"

"Can you put bubble bath in a Jacuzzi?" It was an honest question.

"I think so. We can check later." The blonde hooked her leg around Anna's hip, drawing her in for another kiss. "We're a little busy now." There was no resistance from the redhead as they started making out in earnest, stumbling towards the bedroom. "And I love you too, Sunshine."

* * *

Elsa was- thanks to some very covert coordination- under the impression that her parents weren't flying in until the following day, when they'd managed to schedule for all their friends to attend a picnic at the airport park. It _just so happened_ that their flight was supposedly landing at the same time the blonde was supposed to be attending a very important meeting at work, so they'd agreed to taking a cab to their hotel and another to the park, just to save on time for everyone.

Of course, Anna was in on the secret, so- while Elsa was busy at work and believing the redhead was doing the same- she was actually waiting at the airport, watching the arrivals file out of the baggage claim area and searching for her soon-to-be in-laws.

"If you keep jumping around like that, the TSA is going to come talk to you." Cliff warned from beside her, smiling gently as he watched his daughter.

"Dad, they are not going to-"

"You _are_ acting a bit like a strung out crackhead, honey." Bulda chimed in. "You haven't been able to stay still for the past half hour."

"You're both terrible forever." The redhead grumbled, ducking her head slightly and fighting to stay still, just to prove a point. It lasted all of five seconds, at which time she grabbed her dad's arm and started waving. "There they are!"

Ingvar and Idunn both smiled when they caught sight of Anna's greeting, coming over with their baggage in tow. While the redhead was expecting a firm handshake from the two or some other sort of familiar hello, she was pleasantly surprised to find Ingvar pulling her into a hug almost immediately, dropping his bags in the process.

"Anna! So good to see my other daughter." His voice was affectionate and the redhead couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's good to see you as well, _Far_ , _Mor_ ," Anna replied, returning the hug and breaking away to greet Idunn with a hug as well. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"We're glad to be here." The other woman drew back. "Though a bit curious as to why it was so important we arrive a day earlier without telling Elsa."

Ingvar nodded. "Yes, you did say you would tell us once we arrived."

Once she was free, the redhead looked at both sets of parents and steeled herself. She was originally planning on having this conversation somewhere other than the terminal, but there was no reason to put it off now that the issue was addressed. All that was left was for Anna to figure out how to best attack it, which she'd practiced on and off since they made the arrangements.

"Look, I understand all of you mean well but, for Elsa's sake, I'm putting my foot down on this grandchildren issue." She could see each of them gearing up to offer some sort of rebuttal but continued speaking to preempt their explanations. "Elsa and I have a lot of stuff going on within the next year and I'm not going to stand by and allow any of you to put more pressure on my fiancée. Like I said, I _know_ you all mean well, but it's a decision we'll make in our own time, and I'd appreciate your support in this."

As she expected, Ingvar looked chastised and Idunn accepted her request with a smile, a surprising gleam of pride in her eyes. Bulda and Cliff, on the other hand, were staring at her with shock evident in their expressions.

"So... when were you going to tell us you two were engaged, Sweetheart?" Cliff recovered first, obviously pleased with the revelation despite his chiding tone.

That question provoked surprise in Elsa's parents.

"They've been engaged for a while now," Ingvar said as Idunn put a hand on his forearm.

Before an argument could start, however, Anna smoothly cut in with a smile. "Great! Now that we're at the heart of what I wanted to talk about, maybe we should find somewhere to sit down?"

While Elsa probably hadn't considered the exact specifics of their engagement to be worth mentioning to her own parents, Anna was well aware her mother would ring her neck if she thought her daughter went over _half a year_ without informing the woman she was engaged. Rather than wait for some kind of confrontation later on down the road, the redhead opted to schedule this little meeting ahead of time and explain the cultural differences and significance of their rings. Sure, it ruined the surprise of their official announcement the following day, but it was better than having the memory tainted by an argument or undue confusion on anyone's part.

The five of them ended up at a ridiculously over-priced deli in the terminal's food court area, with Anna explaining the differences in their cultures to Bulda and Cliff while Ingvar and Idunn sat, stunned, on the other side of the table.

When she was finished, Ingvar turned towards her, worry creasing his brow. "Anna, I am _so_ sorry. Please understand, when we first met you, we were under the impression the two of you were engaged. It was a lot to process and-"

"It's okay, _Far_ , really." She smiled, reaching out to squeeze his hand reassuringly. "I understand Elsa's reasoning and I'm not upset about the miscommunication. I just want to make sure we're _all_ on the same page tomorrow."

Finally, Bulda started laughing. "And here I thought I'd never meet someone more stubborn than you." She shook her head, elbowing Cliff's side. "Poor girl was ready to shackle herself without even _meeting_ us! Talk about blind faith."

"Such is the power of love." Cliff mused, smiling warmly. "So, I guess that leaves only the wedding to plan, huh?"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk about." The redhead sat forward in her seat, specifically sending a pointed look at Ingvar. "We've already started talking about it and we're going to include all of you in the process, of course, but _please_ try to... limit your assistance a bit."

Before her husband could voice any objections, Idunn put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Of course. We wouldn't want to overwhelm either of you but we will be eager to offer our assistance, if and when it is needed."

"But-"

"Hush, dear." Idunn chuckled. "Let's remember who we're talking about. If Elsa's _this_ determined, she'll not hesitate to cut us out completely if she feels we're threatening their happiness."

Reluctantly, Ingvar agreed to the terms, reminding Anna that they were happy to help and only a phone call away at any time.

"Great! Thanks, all of you, we really appreciate it." She rubbed at the back of her neck. "There's... one last thing I wanted to talk about. Again, just to avoid confusion."

They ended up spending another hour or so just talking, slowly easing from Anna's rather insistent and aggressive stance to more pleasant topics, like local points of interest and such.

By all accounts, a complete success.

* * *

Despite their initial concerns, the picnic was going disturbingly well. Anna's friends were mingling with Elsa's, engaging in a game of flicker ball while the happy couple observed from the table, still waiting for their parents to arrive. Anna wasn't sure what the hold-up was, though she had a sneaking suspicion it involved more of her mother being... well... _her mother_. Regardless, it was a clear, beautiful autumn day, and the redhead was intent on enjoying every second of it and not focusing on the out-of-place nerves trying to creep up on her.

"What's on your mind, Sunshine?" Elsa set her wine glass aside, running her fingers along one of Anna's braids.

She quickly smiled, nodding towards their friends. "I was just thinking that Kristoff and Merida are really hitting it off. What do you think?"

Elsa turned, watching the two as they celebrated another score with a chest bump. Putting them on the same team as Sven, Marshall, and Aladdin was almost criminal, and Eugene was hopping mad about it. His objections, however, were quickly drowned out by Merida's teasing, her teammates backing her up while Rapunzel shot her own teammates a look that kept them from coming to Eugene's aid. Just before her boyfriend could get too worked up, Rapunzel suggested switching up the teams, putting the couple on the same team as Merida and Kristoff, while Aladdin, Sven, Marshall, Olaf, and Vanessa were on the other.

"They're both athletic, I guess." The blonde noted absently, watching the friends continue their game and laughing as Merida and Eugene continued talking trash to each other while Kristoff and Rapunzel took turns keeping them focused, though not without grousing from the two. "Okay, now I'm seeing it. Usually, when one of us tries to reel her in, she listens. I think she's flirting with him."

"I'm sure he'd be more responsive if he could understand half of what she was saying," Anna said, prompting both of them to giggle. "Maybe we should nudge them in the right direction."

"And how would you propose to do that?"

The redhead commended herself for not reacting to Elsa's choice of words. "Tell Merida that some boaby is right over there?" The blonde snorted, leaning into her shoulder as she laughed. "Okay, maybe we should try something a bit more subtle."

"Actually, I think that might work. While we're at it, we should give Kristoff a Scottish dictionary and tell him that he can ditch his single status if he studies."

Anna laughed, smiling fondly as Marshall managed to flick the ball between Rapunzel and Eugene and into Olaf's arms for a score. "The only problem with that plan is that he _hates_ studying."

"I think we've firmly established that anything's possible with proper motivation," Elsa said, reclaiming her wine glass and scooting closer. "Maybe we should give them a chance."

"We'll figure out something."

They were quiet a few moments before Elsa spoke up. "So, since I _know_ that wasn't what you were thinking about, I'm going to assume it's something we'll talk about later."

Anna chuckled. "Very astute."

"In that case, explain this flicker ball game to me."

"It's _just_ like ultimate Frisbee, but with a football."

"You say that like it should mean something."

Pressing a kiss to the blonde's hair, Anna began elucidating on the finer points of the game until she caught four familiar figures striding towards them from the parking lot. "Ah, found our wayward parents."

"Aw, I was looking forward to formally introducing them." Elsa sighed, setting the now empty glass aside and standing up, completely missing the sly smirk on Anna's face as she followed suit. She took the blonde's hand in hers, schooling her expression back into one of regular excitement.

"If it's any consolation, they don't seem ready to violently rip each other to shreds." She smiled as Elsa rolled her eyes, the two strolling towards their parents about the same time the friends called a halt to their game.

"There's my little girl!" Anna's mother threw her arms open, pulling the couple into a hug. "And her gorgeous girl!"

"Good to see you kids again." Cliff added, sweeping them up into a hug the moment Bulda released them.

"Hi Mom, Dad." Anna laughed, turning her attention to Elsa's parents once Cliff released them.

"Mor, Far, hvordan var flyturen?"

"Bra, bra." Ingvar laughed, clapping them both on the shoulder before pulling them into a hug. "We're very excited to be here."

"We only wish we could've visited sooner. This is a truly marvelous city." Idunn smiled, turning her attention to the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.

After a quick round of introductions- thankfully, Rapunzel managed to keep Eugene from saying something out of turn... for now- Elsa pointed back towards the picnic table, grabbing Anna's hand with her other one. "Now that everyone's here, we can start eating. I'm very eager to try the 'authentic American cuisine' your friends brought."

"Ah, there's one more thing before we eat." Anna smiled, taking a deep breath. Elsa merely quirked a brow but waited patiently as the redhead took a look around, seeing nothing but supportive smiles.

Okay, she could do this.

"Snowflake, I know that we've already had this conversation, but something just didn't sit right with me." She took the blonde's other hand in hers. "On Valentine's Day, you made me a promise, one that was far more layered than I understood at the time. Learning what you'd actually meant didn't change my answer but I feel like we missed out on something really important." She could see the strange mix of emotions flashing across Elsa's face, each fighting for supremacy. "So, even if the answer hasn't changed, I want to ask you in front of our friends and family. I want there to be _absolutely_ no doubt that what we both feel in our hearts is true." She lowered herself down onto one knee, eyes trained on Elsa's face. "Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren. Will you stand beside me in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad times, for richer or for poorer? Will you allow me to do the same for you?" Anna pressed a gentle kiss to the blonde's ring. "Will you take me as I am, with all my faults, all my scars, and claim me as yours alone? Will you allow me to claim you, with all your beautiful imperfections, as my one and only Snowflake? Will you bestow upon me the honor of calling you my wife?"

Elsa blinked, tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed, dropping her knees. "Yes." She pressed a kiss to Anna's ring. "Yes." And to her other hand. "Yes." One cheek. "Yes." The other. "Everything, yes, my one and only Sunshine."

Then the blonde surged forward, claiming her lips in a fierce kiss as they toppled over, Anna landing on her back much to the amusement of their audience. Whom they promptly forgot about, the redhead allowing tears of her own to slip out as she rolled them over, losing herself in her fiancée's embrace...

... until she suddenly found herself hanging in the air, someone holding her by her shirt and belt a good three feet above Elsa.

"Och, sae thae ur th' twa wee loue birds." A booming voice barked out as Anna tried to get a better look at her assailant. "She's sae light! Keek, dear, she hardly weighs a thing!"

"Hey! Stop that!" Anna objected as she started struggling, again to the amusement of her friends and family.

Even the man holding her, it seemed. "Spunky, aren't ye?"

"Da, wid ye lea thaim alone? Thay wur haein a ridiculously mushy moment!" Merida complained, the barest hints of laughter at the edges of her voice.

Oh. Right. Since Merida was invited, she'd also brought her family along. Which meant this must be her bear of a father. "'n' sin whin hae ye bin a fan o' 'ridiculously mushy' moments, mah wee hen?"

"Och, clam up, ye bastart!"

"Merida! Fergus! Cuid ye two _please_ act civilized fur a few hours, fur mah sake?" Anna looked over and saw another woman approaching their little gathering, wearing a stern expression as three young boys ran alongside her.

"A'richt, dear, ah wis juist plooter wi' thaim anyway!" Anna was gently lowered into Elsa's awaiting arms, looking over her shoulder to get a good look at the man the moment she was free of his grasp.

"Let me guess," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's Merida's dad, huh?" At Elsa's confirmation, the redhead puffed out a breath. "I guess I kinda cursed us with that one."

Her lover laughed, bringing their lips together again. "I will never see this as a curse, Sunshine. Never."

"Well then, I curse us for the rest of our lives." Anna smiled, a matching expression meeting her gaze.

"I believe I can accept that. In fact..." The blonde intertwined their right hands. "I look forward to it."

Anna nuzzled into Elsa's neck, inhaling deeply the mixed smells of autumn, perfume, and her lover's natural scent. She almost forgot about food altogether.

"So... how is the wedding planning coming? Anything I can assist with?"

They literally _just_ talked about this yesterday!

" _Father_." Anna warned while Elsa chuckled, rolling off the blonde and helping her up, noting the excitement clearly written on Ingvar's face.

"It's alright, Sunshine. We can catch him up with the plans we've already made." A pointed look. "And remind him to let us do this _our_ way."

With a smile and a kiss on her cheek, Elsa began pulling her towards the picnic table, where the majority of their friends had migrated. The rest of the outing was spent fielding questions about the impending wedding, Ingvar quite obviously avoiding questions regarding Elsa taking his position like they'd planned to discuss. Heck, it was nearly impossible to say anything that _wasn't_ related to the wedding.

Through it all, their hands were clasped on the tabletop, wide smiles on their faces as they laughed and talked with everyone until long after the sun went down.

* * *

After all the insanity that came with her parents and friends visiting, Elsa was more than a little exhausted the following few days, which didn't bother Anna in the slightest. She definitely took advantage of her fiancée's lethargy to wait on the woman hand and foot, spoiling her as much as the blonde would allow. Somehow, the few days of downtime was all Elsa needed to catch her second wind, pulling up different bridal shops, venues, caterers, and a slew of others things that- to be perfectly honest- Anna hadn't even considered being necessary for a wedding. All those 'perfect wedding plans' from the phase teen girls went through where they imagined such things were shelved so long ago, it was hard to remember any of those forgotten dreams. Really, Anna was content to let the blonde make most of the decisions and offer her input when asked or if something caught her eye.

However, seeing as they were aiming for a wedding date towards the spring- apparently, holding it on Christmas was a definite no-no, despite the significance of the date for them, so Valentine's Day would do- there were other important days to observe in the meantime.

Namely, the thirty-first of October.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for calling me out, Anna. I am absolutely convinced I've misspelled Anna's surname at least once in my fics. (Which is weird, since I always use the same one for her.) Anyway, if you feel so inclined, you can now go back to _Sultan_ and imagine everything from Elsa's perspective because, yes, this is another thing I've had set up since then (literally got to Elsa's gift, wrote Anna's reaction, and then was like 'wait, that's not exactly how Elsa meant it... oh FFS). It was _really_ difficult writing things from Anna's perspective throughout _The Kingdom_ without giving any of that away _and_ not making it too obvious. The tradition I mention is a legit thing I learned while in Germany, though I'm not sure how far it spreads across Europe. It also seems to be less common than wearing wedding and engagement rings on the right but, since Elsa's a leftie *shrug* I went for it. Hope you enjoyed! Also, we have 4-5 chapters left, depending on how I divide them up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer** : I barely own the air in my lungs. Really, it's on loan. Also, some... real life issues are addressed in this chapter. Yes, we are still on the roller coaster. Bear with me.

* * *

Finally, Halloween had arrived, which prompted a bit more excitement from Anna than previous years. Sure, it was easily one of her favorite holidays- free candy, dressing up, watching scary movies in groups with the lights out and trying _not_ to be the first one who got scared- but _this_ year, she'd finally succumbed to the oh-so-tempting matching costumes bit that couples usually did. True to her word, the redhead fully supported Elsa's wish to go as Jack and Sally, though Anna continuously claimed that the blonde was a much better Pumpkin Queen, if only for entirely personal reasons. Aside from the matching costumes thing, though, the holiday was planned in 'traditional' fashion, which meant another infamous party at Eugene's with the whole crew, a series of spooky themed drinking games to fit the occasion, and a surplus of wonderful, delicious sweets ripe for the snacking. The only thing that seemed a bit off was that Merida, for some reason or other, decided to fly to America specifically for the holiday, going so far as to bring some of her more obscure folk clothing to act as a costume. No one was complaining of course, even if Elsa found it a bit curious that her friend seemed a bit preoccupied working around Kristoff's schedule than hers, but that was absolutely fine.

By and large, everything seemed entirely normal... until things took a turn for the worse.

The good news was that they learned a few more things about each other that they didn't think to explore before in great detail.

The bad news: the practical experience was nothing to write home about.

"God, please, just kill me now." Anna moaned quietly, lying on the cool tile of an upstairs bathroom, one arm flung over her stomach uselessly, as if to assuage the pain. She used the other as a pillow, willing the rolling in her stomach and pain everywhere else to stop just for five minutes. "This is torture."

"It's going to be okay, Sunshine." Elsa cooed, brushing her hair behind her ear, fingers a cool contrast to the fever burning her body. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

" _Yes_." The redhead spat, flinching at the pain that peaked at her denial, prompting a whine. "It'll pass; just a stomach bug. It just hurts."

"I know, love, I'm sorry." Her lover sounded absolutely helpless, retrieving a glass of water from the bathroom counter. The party was still in full swing, though most of the guests had moved downstairs at Rapunzel's behest, trying to give the redhead the space she needed to recover some of her bearings. "Here, drink this. You need to keep your fluids up."

As Anna forced the water down her raw throat, the redhead started formulating her apology. While Elsa had every right to be worried, the redhead didn't need to be so cutting in her reply. She hated getting sick, partly for the direct symptoms that would result but mostly because of the ever looming threat of something _severe_ causing her to seek a medical professional.

It wasn't a phobia, per say; rather, she just _hated_ going through the inevitable barrage of questions from the nurses as they checked her out. They would take one look at her, mark female on the paper or tablet, then ask about her non-existent menstrual cycle, which led to when her last 'corrective' surgery was, which led to something silly that could be easily answered if they actually bothered to _read_ her medical history before asking her. Then, _of course_ , the more adventurous interns would hear and try to sneak a peek at her, curious as to what a 'genetic abnormality' looked like, and then a plastic surgeon would try to offer 'help' and... it was just stressful, more stressful than whatever got her sent to the hospital in the first place, usually.

"I'm sorry." She rasped, handing the empty glass to her fiancée and trying to clear her throat. Which turned out to be a bad idea, seeing as her stomach decided that even water was too much for it to handle and she was leaning over the toilet again. Tears, more in response to the continued retching and dry heaving that followed than anything else, streaked over her cheeks while Elsa held her hair back, a constant presence despite her own difficulties. Her make-up was smudged beyond repair but that was sincerely the least of her worries.

"It's- guh, i-it's okay, Sunshine, it's okay." Something she learned was that the blonde could eat a dead fish, eyes and all, without batting an eyelash, but couldn't handle hearing or seeing someone getting violently sick nearly as well. How Elsa's managed to stay by her side for however long they were in there was beyond Anna's comprehension. "Here, hold your hair, I'll get more water to wash out your mouth."

They'd been at it for an hour at least; she'd lost track of time. Anna really wasn't sure if it was a bug or something she ate but she wished it would _stop_ at this point. She hadn't had anything solid since breakfast the day before, the dull pain starting right around lunch and transforming into a sharp, almost stabbing pain. Next came the nausea, followed by vomiting and worsening stomach pain, and it had taken every ounce of stubbornness in her to get ready for the party despite Elsa's worrying. Now, she was beginning to doubt that sucking it up was a good idea.

Blindly, the redhead accepted the glass pressed back into her hand though she was having trouble keeping her shaky grip on the smooth surface.

"Anna... Anna, we _have_ to go to the hospital."

She tried to object, turning to do so but the movement caused the pain to become phenomenally worse. Still, the stubborn redhead tried to fight it. "I'll... ugh, be okay."

"It's two o'clock in the morning, Anna. You've been vomiting almost non-stop for close to _twenty-four hours_. This isn't normal." There was shuffling around her and Anna was vaguely aware that Elsa was helping her up, supporting her weight as they moved out into the hallway. Her mind was occupied with trying to process how so much time had passed without her even being aware of it and how unbearably loud the party was as they shakily made their way downstairs. "Come on, we have to get to the hospital."

Every movement made her world spin, the weight of her pain and weakness crashing upon her as her strength fled.

"Hey you t- shit, Anna!" Eugene's voice went from drunkenly cheerful to dreadfully worried faster than she believed he could emotionally switch gears. She was a little impressed. "Should we call an ambulance?"

She stiffened immediately, trying to mumble out some excuse while pulling away.

Her fiancée was _not_ having it. "I'll drive her; just help me get her to the car."

Small mercies she would take at this point, no longer fighting when Eugene slung her other arm over his shoulders. It made the pain flare, sure, but she could hardly think through her misery, much less walk under her own power.

Time was a blur, the streetlights overhead an unsteady rhythm to gauge the passage of time and distance until the brightly lit hospital assaulted her.

The next thing she was truly, clearly aware of was the tiny screening room and the encroaching nurse, apprehension forcing her mind into a sharpened state, fighting through the pain.

"Okay, Miss Andersen, your fiancée said you've been experiencing severe abdominal pain and vomiting since the thirtieth. Is that correct?" She nodded. "I'm going to take a few vitals while I ask some more questions, okay? On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Uh, seven? I dunno." She was slurring and aware of it, wincing as the cuff secured around her arm filled with air to take her blood pressure. "Mmm fine."

"Anna, you better start being cooperative or so help me." Anna turned her head, trying to find the source of Elsa's voice but the nurse was trying to take her temperature, so she settled for whining. "Don't you dare, Anna."

"Well, you're running a fever. Have you been able to keep anything down?" She shook her head. "Alright, I'm going to lift up your dress and-" The nurse abruptly cut off. "Is... there any chance you could be pregnant?"

Anna resisted the urge to pull the flimsy pillow over her head.

"No, there's literally no chance she could be pregnant." The blonde came to her rescue, her tone firm.

"When was her last menstrual cycle?"

Yep, still just as painful as she remembered, the redhead struggling to form words when Elsa once again answered for her.

"Ma'am, could I speak with you privately for a moment?" She could hear them lower their voices and step to one side of the room, the conversation relatively brief. Anna suddenly wished Elsa could've been present for _all_ of her doctor's appointments ever. Not that her folks didn't come to her aid when she was younger but they were a lot nicer about it than the blonde, and the knowledge of what would happen if someone dared to defy Elsa was more than a little comforting. "Anna? Sunshine?" She cracked her eyes open, unsure when she'd closed them, and focused on her fiancée. "Hey. The nurse went to get the doctor. Are you feeling any better?"

Despite the pain, the redhead forced a smile. "Well, you're still here, so yeah."

To her relief, her lover smiled back. "Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear."

"Not even a kiss if it turns out I'm not contagious?"

"You get a kiss if you're a good girl, okay?" Elsa brushed the hair from her forehead, taking a deep, steadying breath. "I know you didn't want to come, but I'm worried."

"It's okay." She sighed. "I just hate doctors. They always ask about... that." Frowning, she glanced down quickly. "You know. Just gets annoying."

"Well, don't you worry about them. I'm here, and I'm not going to let them harass you." The blonde pulled one of the chairs in the room up to the bed, pressing a soft kiss against her damp forehead. "I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to be right here."

"My parents?"

"I called your mom when I was filling out the paperwork. I'm sorry, Sunshine, I didn't know your blood type and you weren't exactly being helpful."

Anna groaned, the pain in her gut spiking suddenly though she tried to play it off. "I knew I forgot to tell you something on our first date."

"Very funny." Despite the tone, Elsa was smiling, putting on a brave front for her no doubt. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Their hands intertwined, the blonde's grip stronger than hers.

She was vaguely aware of time passing but couldn't measure it, fighting to keep her expression from betraying too much. Her beloved was already so worried, she didn't want to make things worse. Anna had to be brave for her sake, since the blonde was doing so much already.

Finally, the doctor entered, a tall dark man in a white coat and holding a clipboard. She was barely aware enough to notice his broad shoulders made him look better suited to a football field than a doctor's office. "Good morning, good evening, whichever you prefer, I'm Doc Sweet. So, Ms. Andersen, having a bit of tummy trouble are we? I'm just going to take a quick look." He wasted no time, speaking quickly, lifting up her shirt, and lightly touching her stomach, which was ridiculously sensitive for some reason. "Alright, and this has been going on for how long?"

"Since eleven o'clock on the thirtieth," Elsa replied for her.

The doctor nodded, rubbing his jaw for a moment before turning towards the nurse. "Get her a CT scan, now, and have the ER team on stand by. Unless they're code blue, we've got priority." Both women tensed, the blonde quickly using her other hand to thread her fingers through Anna's hair, soothing her as the doctor returned his attention to them. "Not going to sugar coat it; you're presenting with symptoms- abdominal pain, fever, swelling, vomiting- that could be a lot of things- gallstones, pancreatitis, tract infection- but it could also be appendicitis, and given how long the symptoms have persisted, that's the first thing I want to rule out." Anna reflexively tightened her hold on Elsa's hand. "Now, I'm not trying to scare you, but I'm not one to put off bad news either. We'll know more once we do the scan, so sit tight for now."

Elsa nodded, thanking the doctor and continuing to card her fingers through fiery strands and visibly holding back tears. "It's going to be okay, Sunshine. You're going to be okay."

She squeezed the blonde's hand, mustering a smile. "Thanks to you. I'm sorry I didn't-"

She was instantly silenced, lips pressing against her cheek. "Relax, Anna. I love you so very much and you just need to focus on fighting the pain. They're going to do everything they can to help you."

"They'd better; they don't want to see you angry." Anna cracked a smile and chuckled, groaning the moment she realized that wasn't a smart idea.

They were quiet for a while, the silence heavy with things that were unsaid but that also, somehow, didn't _need_ saying. Being acutely aware of all those unsaid things, though, made the redhead a bit more appreciative of the quiet hours they spent wrapped up in each other's arms, without any cares or worries weighing down on them. Anna was as comfortable as possible given her situation. When they brought her a drab hospital gown, Elsa helped her undress and eased her back into the bed.

It took some time before they came to get her for the scan and her precious Snowflake was adamant about accompanying her as much as possible, as well as pulling Dr. Sweet aside to briefly explain the situation. She couldn't, however, join Anna within the actual scan room, which made her more than a little nervous.

"Your fiancée is something else," the doctor said, flashing her a smile. "She made it very clear that I'd better do my job or I won't have one come tomorrow morning."

Anna cracked a smile, unsure how to reply to that until the words actually left her mouth. "I love her."

Dr. Sweet nodded in understanding. "And she loves you. So, let's find out what's going on so we can get you back on your feet and in her arms, alright?"

Anna released a sigh, trying not to flinch as the pain in her abdomen continued through the scan. When she left the room, Elsa was by her side again, barely any traces of make-up remaining on her face, skin rubbed red from scrubbing at her cheeks and eyes red from crying, though she smiled when the redhead's gaze fell on her, digging deep within herself to put on a strong front. It fell, though, when another nurse tried to direct Elsa away and the bed Anna was on turned down an unfamiliar hallway. Reflexively, she tried to turn so she could see what happened to her fiancée and immediately regretted it, the pain flaring much worse than before as hands pulled her back onto the bed.

"Ms. Andersen, I need you to listen to me." Dr. Sweet was beside her, the coat gone and a medical cap on his bald head. "We need to rush you into surgery. Your appendix is enlarged and we can't waste any more time. Nod if you understand me." She gave a shaky nod as panic rose in her chest. "Okay, your fiancée wants to observe the surgery. This is a simple procedure, Ms. Andersen, but if you're comfortable with her observing, I'll make the arrangements."

"Please." It was all she could manage, reaching out to put her hand on his, hoping the look in her eyes conveyed her meaning.

He nodded, turning his gaze elsewhere. "Rami, take Ms. Aren up to the observation deck."

Everything after that was a blur but she at least had Elsa watching over her. That little bit of comfort helped more than she could ever articulate. All too quickly, a breathing mask was fitted on her face, the cacophony around her fading as the world began to blur.

* * *

The first thing she became aware of was the steady beeping of a heart monitor and a little dryness in her throat. Oddly, it wasn't as bad as she was expecting, considering how long she'd gone without having water, but the mystery was solved a moment later when she felt something cool and wet pass along her lips.

"Elsa, dear, you should get some sleep," her mother said, voice warm and motherly and for once devoid of any teasing lilt to it.

"I can sleep when she gets discharged." Anna forced her eyes open, a smile curling her lips at the stubborn bristling in Elsa's tone. "Anna?"

"Elsa." Her throat was scratchy but it wasn't overly painful to speak, though she wasn't able to say much else before the blonde was pressing another ice chip to her lips.

"You're going to be okay." The blonde smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. "The doctor was able to remove your appendix without any complications. You're going to have a scar or two from the surgery but they didn't do anything... extra, I made sure of it." She tried to blink back the tears but they fell anyway and Anna raised her hand to weakly brush them away. "I was so scared..."

"I'm so sorry, Elsa. I never meant to upset you, I swear." She tried to sit up but failed, the blonde instead leaning over and bringing their lips together, the kiss tentative and apologetic on Anna's part. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The words were soft, set against her lips before Elsa drew away, wiping at her eyes. "I'm serious, though; you're never going to scare me like this again. If I have to hire a personal physician, I will. I'll staff a whole hospital if I have to. You shouldn't be scared to seek necessary medical attention for _any_ reason!"

She opened her mouth, either to apologize again or offer assurances, she wasn't sure, when her mother came up beside her bed.

"You had us all worried, Sweetheart." She tilted her head. "Things have always been a bit more difficult for you than most, in ways an average person never thinks to expect. We raised you to be strong and determined, but we never intended for you to put your health at risk because of it."

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry." It took her a moment to realize she was crying, Elsa reaching out to brush away the tears. "Got in over my head this time."

"Lucky for you, your fiancée isn't about to let you kill yourself out of stubbornness," Cliff said, standing at the foot of her bed with his hands in his pockets, though his face looked tight and drawn. "What have I always told you about the hardest falls?"

"They teach the best lessons." That was her dad, always putting a positive spin on things. "I learned mine this time. Promise." When her eyes landed on Elsa again, she noted how absolutely _exhausted_ her beloved looked, lingering dark circles under her eyes either from residual make-up or lack of sleep, and the pin striped suit she was still wearing looked wrinkled. "How long have you been awake, Snowflake?"

"A while."

"Elsa."

The blonde sighed, seeming to deflate slightly. "I took a ten minute nap about three hours ago, but I had a good few hours in the morning."

"Which morning?" Anna looked around in vain for a clock, unsure what the time was or even the day, her mind still fuzzy from the anesthesia.

"Yesterday morning," she replied, a little too quickly.

Bulda was quick to provide the reason for that. "Which was about twenty-six hours ago."

" _Elsa_." She tried to sit up but both women at her sides prevented the motion. "Snowflake, you need sleep."

"I can catch up later."

"No, you can catch up now. Mom, help me out." It took only a few gestures for her mother to understand what type of help she wanted and the older woman eagerly complied. Although Elsa objected, the two of them were able to scoot Anna over just enough for the blonde to join her, which she did after only a little more prodding. Anna was only able to wrap one arm around her fiancée's shoulders, but it was enough to set her at ease. Although she fought it valiantly, her eyes drooped shortly after, her breathing turning deep. "I love you, Snowflake."

Elsa mumbled in reply, fatigue finally claiming her.

"You should rest, too." Cliff took Elsa's place at her bedside. "We'll keep any eye out."

She could only nod once, allowing her eyes to close as she focused on her fiancée's steady breathing instead of the quietly beeping heart monitor.

* * *

She dozed throughout the day, occasionally becoming aware of the pain in her abs where the stitches were and the idle conversation between her parents.

Then the door opened and so did her eyes, rousing herself enough to acknowledge the nurse and Dr. Sweet as they entered. The nurse eyed Elsa and opened her mouth, most likely to object, but the Doc cut her off with a hand on her shoulder.

Good. They were smart.

"Feeling better?" He spoke softly, jotting things down on the clipboard in his hands.

"Much." She twitched her lips into a smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, it's what I do," he replied, throwing in a wink. "There were a few times I thought your girl was going to jump through the observation window to throttle me, but everything went as smooth as one could expect." He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Bulda. "That's the handout for the usual complications. I'll wait a little longer before I explain them, okay? You two look like you could use some more rest."

"Very kind of you." Cliff chuckled quietly.

Anna had the feeling she could fall back asleep without disrupting the doctor's work but remained alert regardless. When the door opened again and a new doctor walked in, she didn't think much of it.

"Dr. Rourke, I didn't know you were on call today. What brings you down to Post-Op?" Dr. Sweet still spoke softly, moving towards his colleague as he continued making notes.

"Well, I-" He cut off swiftly, his voice initially loud enough to draw glares from everyone in the room. He continued in a more subdued tone. "I heard you had a patient in need of my superb skillset and thought I would save you the trouble of calling." Though Dr. Sweet looked genuinely perplexed, Dr. Rourke paid him little mind as he stepped towards Anna's bedside. "You must be Ms. Andersen."

"Uh, yeah." The redhead accepted the hand extended towards her, shaking it warily.

"I'm Dr. Lyle Rourke, the resident-"

"Uh, Rourke, I think we should-"

"I'm not going to whisk her into surgery this minute, Sweet, just setting things up." The man chuckled softly, returning his attention to the redhead. "Anyway, I'm the resident plastic surgeon, and I'd like to schedule a consultation to correct your anatomic anomaly." Anna, Cliff, and Bulda were shocked into silence. "The surgery itself won't be much of a problem; we could likely knock it out before you're discharged from your appendectomy." Dr. Sweet and the nurse were backing into the furthest corner of the room. "It's a relatively simple procedure, so the bulk of our conversation will be designing your new vagina."

Dr. Rourke had literally _no idea_ what he'd just done until Elsa sat up, perhaps the coldest glare she'd ever seen on the woman she loved focused solely on the surprised plastic surgeon.

"Get out, now." There was that tone of voice, the same one she'd used on Vanessa what felt like a lifetime ago but a hundred times _worse_. The Doctor tried to speak up but she wasn't having any of it. "Let me make myself emphatically clear: you will remove yourself from this room _and_ this floor or I will personally see your career torn to shreds everywhere from the medical licensing board to the media, making it so not even a black market, back alley operating room in the seediest city on this planet would let you within a mile of their establishment." Anna had no idea if that was actually a thing that was possible, but Elsa sounded convinced that she could follow through with her threat, and given how pale Dr. Rourke had just turned, she supposed it was at least plausible. "Not only is your 'consultation' unwarranted, it's highly unwanted, so I will say it _one_ final time." Elsa pointed towards the door. "Get. _Out_. **_Now_**."

The reaction was immediate. Dr. Rourke tucked tail and ran almost before the last word had fallen from Elsa's lips, the door slamming shut behind him. Although tentative, Dr. Sweet shuffled forward and raised an arm, curling his hand into a fist.

"Look, I respect that you're pissed and I totally don't blame you and I'm not going to even suggest that you calm down, but... can I get a fist bump?" He nodded towards the door. "Because I've been waiting for him to get chewed out by _someone_ and I'm just so thankful I could be present for it."

Anna watched, sensing the cold fury still rolling off her fiancée in waves, and releasing a soft sigh of relief when the blonde acquiesced to the request, brushing her knuckles lightly against the doctor's larger hand.

"Hey, Doc, I'm gonna... y'know." The nurse nodded towards the door.

"Yes, _please_ do so, and be very thorough." Dr. Sweet smiled, chuckling to himself as the woman slipped away. "She's going to the on call room to start spreading the gossip. Rourke's been a pain in the ass since he transferred here and that was _just_ the thing we needed to bring him down a notch. Or ten." He shrugged. "Plastic surgeons. They think they're God... well, moreso than surgeons usually do."

Elsa nodded, apparently satisfied by that explanation and settling herself against Anna once more, instinctively wrapping a protective arm around the redhead's waist, though she was mindful not to aggravate her stitches.

"Now, let's go over a few things real quick..."

* * *

Anna was discharged a few days later, though she only marked the passing of time by asking someone. Her parents stayed for a while but, after it became apparent that no one in the hospital was going to risk entering the room without an approved purpose, took their leave and wished her well, making her promise to check in with them when she got home. Several of their friends had stopped by, also wishing her well and offering to pick up anything that wasn't readily available- Kristoff brought not-flat soda, Eugene brought porn and a portable DVD player, Rapunzel took the porn but brought some musicals and left the DVD player, Merida offered to cook some haggis and bring it but that was politely turned down, etc- but they weren't able to stay long.

Elsa took care of keeping everyone in the loop, of course. The blonde had refused to leave- despite a few attempts by the nurses, who hadn't witnessed her fury firsthand, to remove her from the room, she'd only been out of Anna's sight long enough to take a quick shower and change out of her costume, plus the occasional food and bathroom runs- and handled all the paperwork involved with her stay. Anna couldn't express her gratitude enough, primarily because her fiancée was adamant about being careful regarding her stitches.

The moment they got home, Anna was sentenced to the bedroom, and not in the fun way.

"Snowflake, I'm _not_ invalid. I can-" The blonde shot her a look, forcing her to change her tune, _quick_. "-sit here quietly and not move around much, yeah, I can do that, I love you."

Elsa's features softened, joining her in bed briefly to kiss, hug, and nuzzle into her neck. "I love you, too, Sunshine. But you need to rest."

Anna murmured an affirmative, trying to think of a suitable excuse to at least get a little cuddling time or maybe something a bit more... physical. Being confined to a bed in nothing more than a thin gown with her beloved pressed against her side had proven a difficult situation to navigate. She swore the regular nurse- Ramirez, as she eventually found out- had to restrain herself from giggling at least once while checking in on her, noting her obvious, er, _excitement_ and complete lack of things to do about it. She was sympathetic, at least, and didn't crack any of the jokes Anna was expecting.

Elsa, of course, seemed to read her mind, extricating herself from the bed, though she did give her a kiss to her forehead before heading for the door. "We're both hungry, so I'll work on dinner. Any requests?"

"Something made with love?" The redhead offered, a smile on her lips.

"That, I can do." She lingered in the doorway. "If you're a good girl and eat all your food, maybe you'll get a reward."

"Am I being a good girl by eating all my food?"

" _And_ staying in bed."

"Oh, fine." Anna pouted to little effect, the blonde slipping away before she could succumb to the power of her expression. It became progressively harder to remain in bed, the delicious smells of fried salmon wafting into the bedroom while the temptation to visit her love grew with every passing second.

It _almost_ made her miss the hospital.

Once dinner was done, the blonde came and helped her into the dining room, at least allowing her to eat like a normal person again. While 'breakfast in bed' was definitely one of those things they liked to revisit from time to time, taking every meal off a tray for several days diminished the novelty of it.

Elsa filled her in on her well-wishers and her parents, as well as her job- thankfully, they weren't holding it against her. Elsa had made salmon with rice and steamed veggies on the side, a welcomed departure from the hospital fare that Anna practically inhaled.

While Elsa cleared the table- apparently, that was too work intensive for the redhead to assist with- Anna relocated to the couch- with permission- and started a movie, figuring that she would be joined soon enough. She couldn't really pay attention to the movie, though, her restlessness getting the better of her as she fidgeted.

"Are you sure I can't help?" She called out, hoping in vain that the blonde had changed her mind.

"No, Sunshine," Elsa replied, a hint of laughter beneath her tone. "Just sit there for a while longer and I'll bring out your reward."

"Is it chocolate?"

"Better."

"That's a short list!" Anna chuckled, no longer pained by the action.

"Hold that thought." Elsa called before disappearing somewhere. Anna tried to pay attention to the movie- _Hairspray_ , she'd seen it, like, a dozen times at least- but still couldn't stop fidgeting. "Okay, I want to hear that list."

"Well, things that are better than chocolate." The redhead dramatically took a deep breath and then said, rather simply: "you."

The blonde laughed, the sound unrestrained for the first time in nearly a week. "Me? I suppose that's flattering. What else?"

"That's it, really. Chocolate is pretty hard to beat." Anna sat back, confident in her answer.

"Well then, I certainly hope I live up to expectations." Elsa's voice was just behind her, coming around the couch. She turned her head to meet the blonde's gaze but was instantly distracted, jaw going slack as her eyes roved over her love's form.

Given the events of the past few days, her memory of the Halloween party itself was fuzzy at best, which allowed her to once again be gob smacked by the form fitting pin striped suit and bat bow tie that constituted Elsa's outfit. Without the make-up turning her face into a skull, Elsa looked less like the Pumpkin King and more like a sexy business woman- which she was, very much so, in every way. There were a lot of thoughts that zipped through her addled mind at that moment but the main one was what she ended up voicing.

"You... are... _definitely_ way better than chocolate." Her heart stuttered in her chest, eyes wide and unblinking as she drank in the sight before her. "Even when you're being evil."

"Evil?" Elsa strutted- oh yes, that was _strutting_ , and she was wearing modest heels too, so holy crap- around to in front of her, cocking out a hip and smirking. "How am I being evil?"

"Snowflake, there is nothing I want to do more than... help you out of that suit... but if I get off this couch, you're going to be mad at me, so now I have to sit here and stare and..." The blonde pulled her braid over her shoulder, which initially made Anna trail off, but then she started undoing it, allowing her hair to fall freely around her shoulders. "... and if anyone ever dares suggest to me that you _aren't_ the most beautiful, loving, generous being in this universe, I'll smack them with a trout."

Elsa quirked a brow at her. "With a trout?"

"Yeah... because we eat salmon..." She licked her lips, forcing her gaze to meet the blonde's. "Look, I was just discharged from the hospital after surgery and you're a goddess; _are you really expecting me to make sense right now?_ "

Taking two steps forward, Elsa gently lowered herself into Anna's lap, mindful that barely any weight rested on the redhead's body. It took everything in her power not to wrap her arms around the other woman's frame, press against her lover until they were one, but Anna somehow maintained her composure.

Somehow.

"I suppose you have a point." Elsa leaned in, brushing their lips together teasingly before drawing her into a slow, sensual kiss. Her hands clenched into fists, unsure if she was allowed to touch or if moving would bring this sweet torture to an end. "Now, we set some ground rules."

"Ground rules?" She opened her eyes- not entirely sure when they'd closed- to see the blonde hovering over her, arms braced on either side of her head, hair falling like wisps of moonlight.

"For starters, from now on, no hesitations on seeking medical attention." Elsa traced her jaw lightly with the tips of her fingers. "No matter where I am, I will be by your side as soon as possible, and I'll make damn sure every doctor on through to prospective medical students for the _next ten years_ know better than to upset you with ridiculous questions."

"That reminds me; thank you for that." Anna gave her a small smile. "I think that's the least uncomfortable my doctor's visits have ever been. I mean that." At the blonde's continued stare, she relented. "But, I promise, I won't do it again. I meant that, too, Snowflake; I never wanted to upset you."

She was rewarded with a kiss. "I know, Sunshine, but it bears repeating. Next, no exerting yourself until the stitches are out." The redhead pouted, ready to object. The words, however, died in her throat, overpowered by a soft moan as Elsa lightly nipped at her ear. "That doesn't mean we can't _do_ anything... just that you're not going to be as active a participant as you usually are."

Although part of her was cheering, the overwhelming portion of her objected fiercely to what that sounded like. "But what about you?"

"Once you're fully healed, you can _exert_ yourself all you want. I promise." Elsa smiled, one hand slipping under the redhead's shirt. "But for now, I'm taking care of you, okay?"

She wanted to continue arguing but reluctantly agreed, sensing the battle was already over. "The moment these stitches are out, I'm going to pay you back though. With interest."

"I'm glad this whole ordeal hasn't put you off." Elsa chuckled, pressing open mouthed kisses to her neck. It was short lived, however, as she offered her hand to the redhead. "Now, let's retire to the bedroom, shall we?"

"We're already done with the ground rules?" Anna accepted the hand, allowing herself to be helped up.

"I reserve the right to add to them at any point in time." Another kiss was placed on her cheek. "But, for now, I think that about covers it."

True to her word, Elsa spent the rest of the night keeping the redhead's exertions to a record low, going above and beyond to tend to her every need. Although it initially just made her feel guilty, Anna swore she would repay the blonde as soon as the doctors gave her the green light. Creatively imagining exactly how she would go about doing that soothed her guilt, somewhat.

* * *

Doc Sweet gave her the green light _two weeks_ before Elsa did, not that it deterred Anna in the slightest. After all, two weeks was a lot of time for her to plan exactly how she was going to show her immense gratitude for everything the blonde had done while she was on 'light duty'- as Kristoff had coined it, the jerk- and allowed her the opportunity to gather materials. Not only did Elsa ensure Anna got enough rest and ate like a queen, she'd possessed the foresight to call her off of work and explained the situation to her professors. It was probably the most relaxed and comfortable sick break Anna had ever experienced, so the moment she was given the go ahead, she set her plan into motion.

By the time Elsa came home from her shift at IKEA, everything was set, and Anna had to bite her lip to keep from squealing as she heard the door close.

"Sunshine?"

Leaving the kitchen, the redhead sauntered into the living room, showing off the unintended but not entirely unwanted side effects of two weeks with little else to do but plot. If the dropped jaw her fiancée was currently sporting gave any indication, 'unwanted' was definitely _not_ the word Elsa would choose to describe the methods she'd chosen to whittle away the time.

Rather than donning the ragdoll dress from her Halloween costume, Anna had cajoled Kristoff into being a true best friend and buying her a flattering little black dress. It was a little on the short side- honestly, she probably wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it outside of the house, especially given how _tight_ it was across her hips- but that seemed to only entice Elsa, a soft blush suffusing her cheeks as her shoulders slumped slightly, tongue darting out to lick her lips.

"Welcome home, Snowflake." The redhead winked, beckoning her fiancée closer. "Come here."

Like a puppy on a leash, her fiancée stumbled forward, dropping her messenger bag somewhere near the door as Anna walked backwards, having spent an embarrassingly long amount of time planning this out, measuring each backwards step, and practicing doing so _in heels_. When she came to a stop, she was standing next to the dining table, which was already set for two with candles in place.

"Love?" Her voice was soft, smile stretching a little wider as blue eyes snapped to meet her gaze, only a shade or two darker than normal. "I believe it's time to lay down some ground rules."

"Huh?" Elsa blinked, snapping out of her stupor and blushing even harder. All semblance of eloquence was effectively chucked out the window and the redhead really couldn't be any more smug about that. "Um, a-and what would those be?"

Clasping her hands behind her back to accent her modest bust, which looked considerably more tantalizing than usual and had the blonde's eyes drifting again, Anna tilted her head slightly. "Well, rule number one for tonight is that you'll do everything I say. Rule number two is that you'll tell me if I cross a line."

"Okay." There was a hint of suspicion in her tone but it was warring against arousal and the latter was definitely winning. "Anything else?"

"Uh huh." She took slow, measured steps forward, keeping her eyes on her fiancée and silently praying she didn't trip. The added height of the heels put them almost at eye level as she reached a hand out, dragging the tips of her fingers along the blonde's jaw. "Rule number three is that, if you break rule number one, you get punished. And you can't ask what I mean by 'punished'."

As she expected, Elsa instantly opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it. Instead, she just nodded.

"Excellent." Turning around- it took the better part of the last week to get that right- she began to saunter back to the bedroom. "Now, follow me."

There was no hiding the eagerness in her lover's reply. "Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

Anna spent the remainder of the night reacquainting herself with the limits of her endurance and the flexibility of her core muscles, with Elsa acting as a judge, so they could both be absolutely certain that the redhead was back to full health.

Once they finally settled in for the night, they put the incident behind them and returned their attention to that which could easily and immediately lift their spirits: their wedding. What with Anna's impromptu hospital trip and surgery, a lot of things were left for Elsa to take care of, which she absolutely did. Tiana was all too willing to cater for them, the city was going to grant them a permit to hold the ceremony at their airport park, and the guest list was rather easy given the limited and now shared nature of their friend group. The rest of the details the redhead couldn't rightly care about- seriously, why did the tablecloths matter to some people? Or the font on the invitations?

All that was left, then, was the dress and suit fittings and the minister.

Oh. Dear. Lord.

 _The minister._

* * *

Standing before the church, Anna had to take a steadying breath and swallow past the fist sized lump in her throat. She wasn't exactly scared- nervous would probably be closer- but she was about to walk into a church and talk to a pastor about marrying the woman currently standing beside her which... well... there might be a problem with that. Elsa assured her that this guy was very accepting but something about the situation still screamed 'danger' to the redhead. Sure, there were some churches that were tolerant of homosexuals; Anna just wasn't sure if she would be in the clear given her somewhat unique anatomy or if that somehow double damned her in their eyes. Her own upbringing was rather light on the religious side, so she really didn't have anything to gauge exactly how badly this could potentially be. But, having a minister was important to her beloved, so... they were going to do this.

"Sunshine? Are you alright?"

Her gaze snapped to her fiancée, the weight of the unknown previously pressing down on her lightening considerably. "Yeah, just... nervous."

A hand slipped into hers as lips skimmed her cheek in a chaste but reassuring kiss. "We'll be fine. If we start feeling uncomfortable, we'll leave."

That was her Elsa, straight to the heart of the issue and don't try stopping her. Nodding, Anna allowed herself to be led into the structure, passing through the large oak doors and into the small foyer beyond, the soft jingle of a chime accompanying their arrival. There were brochures and pamphlets on a nearby table but she didn't have the chance to investigate them as a voice greeted them from seemingly nowhere.

"I'll be with you in one moment! Just- ack! Oh, come on, get in there!" Exchanging a curious glance, the couple leaned around a corner to see a young man in a cassock struggling to fit a box into a closet already packed with several like sized containers. Without a second thought, both of them moved forward, helping the man place the box without disturbing the others too greatly and forcing the door shut. "Well, that was a workout! Thanks, I appreciate your help. Is there something I can do for you?"

"We're here to see Pastor Bolin," Elsa said, a friendly smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Okay, so she wasn't the only one not quite buying the priest thing. The redhead immediately stepped up beside her fiancée, trying to quietly reassure her that they would be okay, no matter what reaction their arrival garnered from the man in front of them.

"Well, that's me!" He favored them with a wide smile. "Oh, you must be Miss Elsa! And this is Miss Anna, a pleasure to meet you both!" He jovially shook their hands, waving them further down the hallway. "Please, follow me."

Taking hold of the blonde's hand, the two followed the priest warily, stepping into a small room that showcased in equal measure devotion to the church and... a fascination with handball, apparently.

"Do you play?" Anna nodded towards one of the jerseys on display as she took a seat beside the blonde, on the opposite side of a small desk from the Pastor.

"Yeah, and I help coach the local youth team." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought about trying out for a professional team once, like my brother did, but contributing to the community as a minister is more fulfilling for me."

"Is your brother a man of the cloth as well?" Elsa raised a brow, her tone polite and other hand in her lap. She hadn't released Anna's when they sat down and it felt like an elephant was slowly growing larger in the corner of the room.

"No, he serves on the city's police force." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "We have... different opinions about how to best serve the community, but we really just want to make the world a better place."

"That's great!" Anna winced slightly, mentally making a note to check which time block she'd signed up for; her college partnered with a local shelter to provide a huge Thanksgiving feast and she'd signed up to help out. In the jumble of events, she'd nearly forgotten all about it.

"Well, might as well get down to business." The Pastor looked between the two of them. "Do either of you get the feeling I'm going to start slinging holy water at you at any moment? Because I'm fresh out, honest."

She couldn't help it; she laughed. Elsa immediately shot her a look that didn't exactly encourage her to stop- there was the faintest hint of amusement in those blue eyes, there was no use hiding it- but she managed to regain control of herself quickly, squeezing the blonde's hand in apology.

"You came very highly recommended, Pastor Bolin, but we will admit to being a little nervous." Elsa inclined her head slightly. "Aside from the, um, unorthodox nature of our union, we would also like to request a certain amount of... discretion."

When the Pastor quirked a brow at them, Anna decided to chime in. "We just don't want to deal with any nosy reporters trying to make a quick headline."

He whistled low. "Wow, so you _are_ one of the IKEA Arens. I thought you might be, after receiving your e-mail; it's not exactly a common surname here in America." Nodding slowly, the Pastor pulled open a drawer and retrieved a folder. "Well, you won't need to worry about me talking to the press; while my church doesn't openly oppose 'non-traditional' unions, they're not too keen on advertising their support quite yet. We're still waiting on hearing from the higher powers about which way we're going to lean on the issue. Thankfully, I'm also an unaffiliated celebrant, which means I can still officiate unions outside of my religious duties." He slid the folder towards them. "But! I don't take this stuff lightly!" Three taps to the thick manila paper. "What we're going to go over is important stuff! If you two don't take it seriously _and_ pass my pre-marital counseling course, I _won't_ preside over your union and I'll make certain no one in this city will either!"

Anna nodded, leaning forward in her chair. "Where do we start?"

Silence settled over the room, both women listening and watching attentively.

The minister blinked. "Oh... kay. Alright. So. I wasn't expecting this."

The redhead looked to her side, comforted by the confusion she saw flashing in her fiancée's eyes. At least they were on the same page.

"What, exactly, weren't you expecting?" There was a slight edge to Elsa's tone, not quite her 'you do _not_ want to cross me' voice but promising to graduate to it very shortly.

Rather than seem intimidated, the Pastor leaned back, a smile on his face. "Usually, when I get couples who have reason to seek me out specifically to be their minister, this is about the time they either begin to panic or get angry with me." He gestured around. "Implying they can't be with their one true love if they fail usually provokes a reaction but you two... heh, you two aren't even the slightest bit worried, are you?"

"Why should we be?" Anna furrowed her brows.

"You could fail."

"No." She shook her head, a dopey grin on her lips as she looked over at Elsa. "Not after everything we've been through; there's _no way_ we could fail." Although she'd refrained at first, Anna moved her chair closer to her fiancée's, just barely resisting the urge to kiss her and instead stroking her thumb along the back of Elsa's hand. "Besides, this woman is the love of my life. That's a fact. I don't need a ceremony or a piece of paper to tell me that."

The blonde hummed, leaning into her side slightly, obviously holding back just as much as she was. "If we don't get married, then that's that. We'll live in sin for the rest of our days."

Anna giggled, partially at the words themselves but mostly at the utterly disinterested way in which they were said. "I'm not sure that's an appropriate comment to make inside a church, Snowflake."

"Probably not but you're only saying that because you're jealous you didn't get to say it first."

"Got me there," she replied, laughing with her fiancée and squeezing her hand. When she turned her gaze back to the Pastor, he was smiling at them.

"So, you don't need the marriage to confirm that you're going to be together." He tilted his head to the side. "If I denied your application right now, what would you two do?"

Anna and Elsa exchanged a thoughtful look. The words sprung to the tip of her tongue but she waited, nodding for the blonde to answer first.

For her, it was simple: they'd go back home, she'd make spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread for dinner, and they'd curl up on the couch and watch an episode or two of some TV show. Maybe a movie, if they felt inclined.

She looked down at the ring on her finger, smiling a bit wider. They really didn't need a ceremony or piece of paper saying they were married. The concept was a universal one, something that stated to anyone and everyone that the people involved were going to be together through hell and high water, but they'd already started down that road. The challenges they'd overcome, the difficulties they'd faced, and even those that lay ahead, they wouldn't be eased or smoothed over or ignored just because they were declared 'married' on tax records. It really didn't matter. It would be nice to have that recognition but all she needed was Elsa's love.

No ceremony could give her that.

"We'd go home and make dinner, probably watch another episode of that crime drama we've been watching- _Red Heart, Blue Shield_ ," the blonde replied confidently. " _We_ don't need you to marry us, Pastor. We just _want_ to be married so that the world can begin to understand what we already know." Blue eyes slid to her, sparkling with conviction. "That I am going to love Anna until the day I die and no one else will do."

Was it any wonder why she adored this woman? "I love you too, Elsa."

Any other circumstance, she would've immediately leaned over and stolen a kiss. Circumstances being what they were, however, Anna settled for leaning out of her chair and hugging her fiancée. Upon reclaiming her seat- which she discreetly moved a little closer- they both looked to the minister. Rather than seem the slightest bit upset or disappointed in their answer, he had his arms crossed over his chest, smile as wide as before.

"I _like_ you two." He announced, grabbing up the folder and opening it. "Alright, usually this course takes two weeks, but I think we can get it knocked out in two days. I just want to get some quick information from you two and then the second appointment can cover areas of special interest, if we identify any." His green eyes sparkled. "Alright, let's get down to it!"

Damnit, now Anna was right back to being confused. "Wait, what? I thought you were going to kick us out."

The Pastor shook his head, pen flying across paper after paper from practiced ease. "No, see, the problem I usually run into with couples revolve around them thinking that getting married makes a relationship more 'real' or the love between them 'true' or some ridiculous nonsense like that. So many people completely miss the point! But you two, you _get it_." He looked up. "The ceremony, the paper, the show- all of it is for the world to recognize and understand what you already know in your heart to be true. You two love each other and nothing is going to keep you apart."

Anna smiled and nodded. "Well, yeah. It's as simple as that."

"It really, really is." Two pieces of paper were turned around and slid towards them, pen offered a moment later. "Fill these out and no peeking at the other gal's answers!"

Accepting the paper and pen, the redhead set about filling out the questionnaire, most of it being seemingly administrative information. It did, however, mark the first time she could write 'Anna Aren' on an official document instead of her notebook or any random scrap of paper she could find.

It was at once the strangest and most heartwarming sensation in the world, realizing that, in a few short months, that would be _her_ name. Her legal name. Binding her in black ink to the woman beside her, who had her nose scrunched up as she tried answering a question, probably the left field one about what type of socks she wore- cotton, ankle length, with the brand name written on the bottom.

A rubber eraser bounced off her temple, the chiding tone only barely containing amusement. "Stay on task."

Oh. Right.

* * *

In an ironic twist of pure coincidence- and thanks to jumping through hoops for work and other wedding preparations- their second appointment with the Pastor landed on the one year anniversary of their date at the ice rink. If not for the scheduling, the redhead probably wouldn't have even taken note of it or dwelled on events that seemed like a small lifetime ago, but as they were heading over to a café downtown- the minister thought a more relaxed setting might make things a bit more comfortable for them- it suddenly hit her like a freight train. The emotions from the day were dulled considerably by the soft hand in hers but, strangely, she found herself stuck on what Hans had said.

At the time, it was a knife in her heart, the cruel secret she _thought_ she was selfishly keeping to herself to preserve her own happiness. But mere weeks later, Elsa had rather cleverly informed her that she was mistaken in that regard. Now, they'd already crossed the bridge of physical intimacy, and she was grateful that their bond hand only deepened since then, but it did beg the question.

"Hey, Elsa, I know this probably isn't the _best_ time for this, but..." She bit her lip, trying to word the question correctly.

"Anna?" The blonde furrowed her brows, obviously concerned. "Something wrong?"

There had to be a delicate way to put this but the words weren't coming. Looked like 'blunt' was the only way to go.

"A year ago, Hans said that you'd be massively disappointed because you're a lesbian." She held up a hand, preempting the reply she could see forming, one born of irritation. That was neither her intent nor her point, so she pushed on quickly. "When he said that, what did you think?"

"You mean aside from calling him every dirty name in every language I could think of?" When she didn't chuckle, Elsa sighed, pulling the Mini into an open parking space. They were early anyway, so a few minutes to talk wouldn't hurt. "Can you rephrase the question? I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, you said you already knew that I had a penis instead of a vagina at that point." She wondered if her lack of blushing at the statement was due to Eugene's influence or just some sort of maturity on her part. Hopefully, the latter. "So, when he implied that you would react negatively, what was going through your head?"

It was kinda stupid- they were past this, after all- but she suddenly _needed_ to hear the answer. It had remained a mystery what the blonde must've thought when confronted with a legitimate concern like that, even if she was able to eventually come to terms with it. Given how much bearing that moment had on their current relationship, and that Anna was obviously only aware of how it affected _her_ , not having that piece of the puzzle seemed... bizarre, now that she was confident enough to properly acknowledge it without fearing the response.

She could see the war in Elsa's eyes. As much as she didn't want to hide things from the redhead, her fiancée obviously didn't want to broach this topic. The timing was horrible and she really should've saved it for later, when they weren't about to meet up with someone, but it was nagging at her from the moment she'd realized it.

"We can talk about it later, Snowflake. I'm sorry." She offered a small, reassuring grin, and made to exit the vehicle, but Elsa stopped her.

After a few seconds to further steel herself, the blonde spoke.

"Honestly, I was angry at him, to presume so much about me... and then angry at myself." She shifted slightly, glancing out of the window. "Because... well... I thought calling myself a 'lesbian' gave me definition, a banner that explained something incredibly complicated in a concise way. That was appealing to me for a number of reasons and I found myself attracted to women, so everything was... okay. It fit me." Blue eyes darted to her. "But then, I fell in love with this amazing woman, this gorgeous person who was more than I could ever hope for in a partner, and you... well, it's a matter of semantics, now isn't it? Anyway, I started wondering if the label was even worth having. Did I identify as a lesbian because I was sexually attracted to the anatomy or because I was emotionally attached to the definition?" She let out a mirthless chuckle. "We weren't quite there yet- I thought I was giving you time to come to terms with telling me, if you wanted to, and we both had our secrets and- it wasn't really something I wanted to focus on too heavily." Her head tilted forward. "And then he just came and shoved it in my face."

Sensing the dark cloud settling over her beloved, Anna reached out, taking one hand in hers and pressing a kiss to Elsa's knuckles. That seemed to quell whatever rolling emotions were beginning to rise, earning her a thankful little grin before the blonde continued.

"At first, I was angry at him for throwing my own confusion back at me, just as I was angry that he'd upset you. All of it was directed at _him._ But when you drove away, all I could be was angry at _myself_ for not telling you that I was just confused and needed some time to process, that even if I couldn't really put it into words my hesitations, I _wasn't_ rejecting _you_." She stroked the ring on Anna's finger, bringing it to her lips to kiss it reverently. "That's what ate at me the most while we were separated. My biggest regret. You left after being emotionally laid bare and attacked and I didn't stop you, hold you, soothe your pain. I was too scared of losing something that I thought at the time was important, a part of my identity, and I let you go in the process. At some point, it hit me that I missed you _so badly_ that it didn't matter if I was confused. I just wanted you back in my arms because then, even if nothing was solved, I knew my world would somehow make sense again." Their eyes met, the hint of tears in her watery eyes. "You're the type of person who deserves to smile and be happy, to be loved and accepted for how wonderful you are... and I wanted to be the reason you smiled again."

Anna couldn't help the wide smile that instantly split her lips, leaning in for a deep kiss from her fiancée that drove the tears away. When they parted, all the redhead really wanted to do was go home and cuddle on the couch but, seeing as they still had an appointment to keep, reluctantly made to get out of the vehicle. But first. "I love you, Elsa."

"And I _love_ you, Anna." They shared another, chaste kiss before getting out and heading to the café.

Anna made a mental note to do something special that night, to make up for springing that question out of the blue. The answer was obviously difficult for the blonde to explain and she wanted nothing more than to soothe away the pain with some well deserved TLC.

"Ah, there you two are!" The minister chuckled, waving at them from a outdoor table. Despite the winter chill in the air, it wasn't too uncomfortable to sit outside, so the couple took their seats without fuss while exchanging greetings with Pastor Bolin. This time, they were able to set their chairs much closer together, and Anna wasted no time in wrapping an arm around her beloved. "Hmmm, I seem to sense a little bit of relaxed tension. Did something come up?"

"Just something from last year that we hadn't really talked about yet," the redhead replied, waiting a few seconds to see if the minister was going to let the issue rest or press further. When it looked like he was about to ask another question, she cut him off. "Today's the anniversary of when my ex _first_ decided he would give us some relationship advice. It... caused a bit of a hiccup for us."

He nodded, those bright green eyes focusing on Elsa next. "Okay, the overall outcome's pretty obvious, but what about that incident brings you down?"

Anna sat forward slightly, ready to intervene. She was stopped just short of doing so by a hand on her thigh, a gentle assurance that her fiancée could answer.

"It reminded me that I nearly lost Anna through my own inaction." The blonde sighed, shaking her head slightly. "A stupid mistake I won't forgive myself for and refuse to make again."

Immediately frowning, Anna leaned in to gently brush her lips against her fiancée's cheek, rubbing her arm comfortingly. She really wished she could do more, completely wipe away the sourness in Elsa's expression, and she wracked her brain trying to find the right words, but what else could she do? How many times had she made it clear that she was so very, _very_ thankful Elsa hadn't given up on her? That they'd come so far _because_ the blonde fought so hard?

"Well, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, there are times when I have to let the priest in me speak up," the Pastor said, a slight grin on his lips. "And the topic of forgiveness comes up _quite_ often when it comes to religion, but I'll be brief: if you don't forgive yourself, will you ever really be able to move beyond it?" He held up his hands, spreading them wide in a placating gesture. "Far be it for me to tell you how your relationship should go, and I really only do these counseling sessions to make sure the people involved understand the commitment that marriage entails. _However_ I have to point out that bearing guilt over something you had no control over isn't healthy, especially when it's clear that the only person who _could_ be upset by it seems to feel like you're being too hard on yourself."

Elsa glanced up at her, grinning slightly as the redhead took the opportunity to give her brightest, most loving smile to her fiancée.

"Now, I don't know all the specifics. Maybe there's something you two _do_ need to sort out regarding this particular event." He shrugged. "Given what I know about the two of you, though, I think you've got most of the kinks worked out. Sure, whatever that guy did or said provided an obstacle, but you both overcame it a while ago, right? Dwelling on the negative feelings means they occupy space in your heart, space that could hold positive feelings instead."

"I sincerely hope you're not implying I should forgive _him_ in the process." Elsa sat up a bit straight, already looking more like her usual self.

"Nope, definitely not saying that." The Pastor coughed, muttering under his breath. "Well, not right now at any rate." He straightened up and smiled. "But I think we can _all_ agree that holding onto this anger towards _yourself_ isn't doing anyone any favors, right?"

The blonde sighed, relaxing into Anna's embrace. "I suppose."

"Oh, yeah, you listen when _he_ says it." She melodramatically announced, gratified by the genuine laugh her fiancée let out.

"That's the benefit of letting an outside observer point things out." He shrugged, offering a lopsided smile. "Of course, that doesn't guarantee that their advice is good."

"Guess we're lucky we've got you, then." The redhead smiled, turning to press a soft kiss on Elsa's jaw. "So, what were we going to cover this time?"

The minister sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Actually, we'll get to that in a minute. How about we grab some coffee first?"

They got up, the Pastor leading the way inside and towards the counter while Anna took advantage of the moment to bring her beloved in for another stolen kiss, this time on the lips. They agreed that keeping displays of affection to a manageable minimum was the courteous thing to do, regardless if the minister was accustomed to them. However, seeing those blue eyes sparkling again demanded she show proper appreciation.

"Love you, Snowflake."

"Love you too, Sunshine."

* * *

Author's Note: Me- "I'm going to post up this story!" Life- "Hahahahahahaha, _fuck you_." Sorry about the delays; I'm getting my butt kicked right now. Anyway, I really couldn't imagine a better minister for this wedding than Bolin from _Legend of Korra_. Coincidentally, I wrote the wedding scene concurrent with _Multiplayer_. I don't understand how my brain works. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me; I truly appreciate y'all's reviews, favs, and follows, and sorry again about the delays in posting up these chapters. I'm trying, I swear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Also, _so_ sorry for the late posting again. Wild horses, yo. For the record, this particular chapter's been written _six different times_ because previous versions were lost due to technical difficulties. Going back and editing it was a nightmare, because I'd written it so many times, I couldn't remember which version actually stuck! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. This and the follow two are, again, noticeably shorter than previous ones, but there simply was _no_ better way to split them up without making one chapter ridiculously long in the process.

* * *

Christmas Eve they spent at Eugene's, at a much more subdued party than was normal for the group. Part of it was because Anna's friends were still more than a little freaked out that she'd nearly killed herself through sheer stubbornness the night of the Halloween party; the rest, refreshingly enough, was that everyone seemed able to bring a _date_ to the event, which wasn't something that had occurred before. Sure, Eugene and Rapunzel started dating back in Freshman year, and Elsa was just as welcomed as Anna by this point, but the rest of their friends were typically single or dating on and off, not really wanting to bring whatever significant other they had presently along for a night of drunken ridiculous shenanigans.

That was not the case tonight, though. Aladdin had met a beautiful girl named Jasmine while running late for one of his classes- he'd stopped to help her out of a jam, then skipped the rest of his class to talk to her- and Sven had brought along a friend he met through his automotive mechanics class, though he was very vague on whether or not they were dating. Vanessa was there with a rather good looking young man named Eric, though she insisted they were merely good friends from high school who'd recently reconnected. Even Kristoff wasn't there solo, which was a case of the blind leading the lost; Merida had made another curiously timed visit to the States for the holiday under the pretense of visiting Elsa- and subsequently accompanying the engaged couple to the Netherlands for New Years- and coaxed the man into being her date. Now, they were stumbling through trying to figure out if they were there as acquaintances, friends, or actual dates, and neither Elsa nor Anna were particularly inclined to assist them quite yet.

If there was one thing the redhead had learned to be thankful for, it was having _just_ the right amount of meddling in her relationship. If those continued to flounder through the initial stages, one of them would step in and lend a hand, but for now, they could try to work things out for themselves.

Plus, maybe Anna was enjoying the pleading looks her best friend kept shooting her a _bit_ too much; payback for his sneaky interference and assistance the previous year.

After everyone arrived, they all sat down and had a meal- like, with _real_ food that required neither microwave nor delivery and eggnog to drink, which was somehow less potent than whatever 'jungle juice' usually filled Eugene's ridiculously large punch bowl. Apparently, Rapunzel was an excellent cook and Eugene had hidden that fact for far too long, in their opinion. Everyone was even dressed somewhat respectable, too- slacks, button up shirts, blouses and skirts, dresses. Of course, in Anna's eyes, Elsa outshone everyone else with her simple evening gown of black and royal purple, and she was assured many times by her fiancée that she looked absolutely amazing in her new suit, even though she left the jacket at the door.

It was a little jarring, when she stopped to think about it, almost as if everyone had matured overnight. It wasn't that abrupt a change of course but... it was still weird to notice as suddenly as she did.

Then, Eugene teased them briefly about their necklaces clashing with their clothing choice and Rapunzel was rather swift to regale them with how she spent the better part of an hour helping him figure out which tie to wear, so he had no room to talk. He immediately shot back that it was only because he got the ties mixed up with the silk restraints she loved and couldn't tell them apart. Aladdin made a comment about keeping their bedroom activities away from the dining table and no one could keep a straight face through Eugene's over-the-top reaction to such 'scandalous' talk as he began sipping from his cup with his pinky extended, raving about how classy gentlemen wouldn't be so crass.

Apparently, maturing didn't mean _everything_ changed.

After dinner, they all mingled around the house, mostly making idle conversation in between catching up on recent events. What with the hospital and the wedding preparations, Anna had been busy to the point of exhaustion nearly every day, especially since she was back to working at the restaurant and catching up on her college courses. Her beloved was trying to subtly suggest that she quit her job and just let the blonde take care of the expenses but Anna wasn't having it. Out of a combination of pride and a desire to surprise Elsa with random purchases and gifts, the redhead was bound and determined to stay in the work force until something came up. The winter break, however, was just the thing she needed to relax and reconnect with her friends.

"You're kidding." Anna fought to contain a laugh as Jasmine shook her head, long black tresses swaying with the motion.

"No, when I say he was being completely serious, I'm being honest. He actually thought a monkey was an appropriate gift for a four year old." The redhead couldn't bear it anymore, busting out a laugh at her friend's expense, though he was engrossed in a debate with Kristoff about some hockey team and didn't notice. Jasmine chuckled, glancing his way before sighing softly. "It was sweet, though, how upset he got at the very suggestion of taking it back. I'm pretty sure it doesn't like me, yet, but... I guess we'll get used to each other."

"What did he name him again? The monkey?"

"Abu." The raven haired woman shook her head. "That was his second choice; you don't want to know his first."

"I can probably guess but I'd rather not." They laughed again, Anna recovering as Elsa reappeared at her side, greeting her beloved with a kiss. "Where did you run off to?"

"Merida needed coaching on 'how to talk American'," the blonde replied, chuckling softly. "Those two are almost as hopeless as we were."

"Lucky for them, we're here to throw a lifeline when necessary." She pressed a quick kiss to her lover's temple. "Jasmine, this is my fiancée, Elsa. Jasmine's here as Aladdin's date."

"Pleasure to meet you." The two women shook hands.

"Likewise." Jasmine smiled. "Congratulations on your engagement, by the way."

"Thank you." The blonde beamed, pressing closer to Anna's side. "I'm really lucky she said yes."

Rolling her eyes playfully, the redhead snuck a kiss, briefly debating if it would be considered rude to slip away for a few minutes to just spend some time wrapped up in her beloved. Unlike the previous year, she wasn't busy working herself to exhaustion to preoccupy her mind but free time was pretty scarce all the same. Between arranging for her dress fitting and helping Elsa coordinate things for their wedding, Anna had really buckled down on her studies in preparation for the dreaded finals. Elsa, meanwhile, had dedicated more time to work; with a firm grasp on the lowest levels of the company she 'took an open position' in the nearest distribution center, shifting her focus to learning the ins and outs of the supply chain. It was a bit of a farther drive, which meant earlier mornings and later nights, but things would even out again once the holiday season passed.

Though it was cutting in on their couple time, the changes were part of the territory, and just made the few quiet hours they could spend together all the sweeter.

"Hey, Feisty Pants." Their host sidled up to the trio, an easy going grin on his lips. "I realize you're a bit busy but, uh, could we talk for a minute?"

She had half a mind to pout at being pulled away from Elsa again so soon. However, Anna just nodded and gave her fiancée another kiss before moving away, following Eugene out to the front porch and sitting down at a bench they'd stolen from some public park their freshmen year. The redhead would feel bad about the larceny if they hadn't torn down the park the following month anyway, replacing all the old, mostly wooden benches and play equipment with all metal.

"So, what's up?" She looked over at the man, noting again how sharp he looked. It was strange, almost, to think this was the same man she'd always considered to be the wild one of the bunch.

His confidence slowly slid away, replaced by a contemplative nervousness. He leaned back, staring out across the yard as the wind slowly began to pick up, stirring the few flurries that had fallen earlier in the night. Anna was about to get worried when he sighed, gaze shifting to her. "How'd you know that it was the right time?"

"Um... for what?" The redhead cocked her head to the side, genuinely curious and a touch concerned. Eugene being serious was... weird. Not a bad weird! Just... weird.

"To get married." He ran a hand through his hair. "Punzie and I have been together for, like, almost four years at this point. I love her and I don't think... breaking up isn't an option, ya know?" He shrugged. "But I don't know if it's the right time. Like, am I supposed to go all out? Should we talk about it first? Do I tie a bow around my dick and say 'surprise, it's yours' or what?"

"Okay, _never_ put that mental image in my head again, thanks." Anna laughed, getting a slight chuckle out of her friend in return. "How long have you been thinking about popping the question?"

"Since you did, honestly." Eugene sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I mean, I heard what you and Blondie said, and I just... looked at Punzie and I really wondered about us..."

She took a deep breath, mentally turning over his words for a moment before speaking. "First, I'd like to point out that Elsa asked me first. I mean, yeah, she was being super sneaky in doing so, but she should get credit for that. Next, I'd like to gently remind you that you shouldn't make a decision, especially something bit like this, based solely on someone else's relationship."

"I'm not!" The young man instantly countered, though he sighed almost immediately after. "I mean, okay, so it got me thinking about it-"

"And asking _my_ opinion about it." The redhead lightly pointed out, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Do you _want_ to get married, Eugene?"

He opened his mouth but nothing came out, one hand scratching at the back of his neck as he deflated. "I love Punzie- can't imagine what I'd do if she left... but... marriage?" He sighed again. "I never really thought about it before. That always seemed like something for... more responsible people, like you and Elsa."

"Eugene." She warned, raising a brow as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, look, it's true! You two have been together, what, a year and a half? You'll be married before being together for two years; so, yeah, I'm kinda looking at that as some sort of indicator. Hello, look at our friends!" He gestured towards the house behind them. "We're just getting a handle on all this stuff, you know? You're the only one who has any sort of... experience on this."

The redhead blinked, sitting back in her seat. "Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, come on, Feisty Pants, I'm being serious here! I need help!"

Anna smirked at him. "Yeah, and a couple months ago, _I_ needed _your_ help. Oh, how the tables have turned." Eugene groaned while she laughed, lightly knocking his shoulder. "I'm just messing with you. I certainly don't keep a blow up doll on stand by-"

"One, I would almost forgive you if you did, and two, _still_ being serious over here."

"I already told you!" She shook her head. "Look, maybe you should sit Rapunzel down and talk to her about the future. Do you know what you're doing after you graduate?"

Eugene nodded, stroking at his beard. "Yeah, the museum's always hiring security guards. It doesn't pay great but it's a foot in the door, ya know? I eventually want to work for that security firm over on Fifth street but I first need to get some work experience."

"Security? Really?"

"Come on." He gave her his best roguish grin. "Is there any security system in the city that I _can't_ beat?"

"I distinctly remember you texting me from inside a dumpster, convinced you were about to be arrested-"

"Let's not dwell on the past, shall we?" Eugene chuckled, waving a hand in a vague motion. "We're getting off topic."

"No we're not." She nudged him again. "What's Rapunzel's plan after graduation?"

He tilted his head back. "Well, she wants to be an architect and she's really good. There's an internship open here... but she's also got her eye on one over in Richmond."

"And if she takes that?"

Silence filled the air, disturbed only dimly by the sounds of the party still in full swing within the house.

"I want to go with her." She looked at him, raising a brow and prompting elaboration. "If she wants to move to Virginia. Three years... I don't want to walk away from that, not for a job."

"Maybe she doesn't want to, either." The redhead smiled. "Talk to her about the future, Eugene. Ask her opinion, listen to her response. See if you're both on the same page. Because once you are..." Her smile widened. "Well, then it's obvious! And isn't that the advice you gave me?"

For a moment, he just looked at her, the gears in his head turning. Then, suddenly, he laughed. "Well, you got me there!" He sighed and shrugged. "Maybe I'm over-thinking it."

"You are, but you're over-thinking it _because you care_." She stressed, again raising a brow at him. "Doesn't that tell you something about whether or not you're ready?"

"Of course not! I'm Eugene Fitzherbert, I'll have you know; I am the embodiment of mystery!" He declared, puffing his chest out briefly before Anna made to punch him. They both laughed, settling back against the bench as he continued. "Knowing Punzie, after all this, _she_ will propose to _me_. Wouldn't that be a great story to tell the kids one day?"

They both laughed again and, really, the redhead wouldn't put it past Rapunzel to take control of the situation if Eugene couldn't quite find the words. That was part of the reason she was one of Anna's bridesmaids, seeing as the redhead didn't have many female friends to hold the position, aside from Vanessa. "If you need to talk to a minister, the Pastor we're using is a great guy."

"I'll keep that in mind." He laughed, shaking his head. "But, come on, just between us. Aren't you a _little_ scared about the commitment? Getting hitched this young? The whole ball and chain thing? Just a bit?"

Anna cocked her head to the side. Truthfully? Sure, she was a little scared, but not of the idea of getting married. If anything, the preparation for it was the daunting part. Invitations, dress fittings, floral arrangements- sure, Elsa took care of most of the details, but the sheer _number_ of details was staggering. Almost a little upsetting, too. It wasn't going to be easy- things worth doing rarely were, that was part of the reward- but just thinking about all the little things that needed to happen between now and then was a bit stifling, when she allowed it to bury her. How the blonde managed to handle all of those details and timelines on top of everything else was mind boggling, truly.

She wasn't about to give him ammo to torment her fiancée, though. "Um, I'm sorry, have you _met_ Elsa before? _Why_ would I be scared?"

Favoring her with a flat look, he reached out and flicked her nose. "I seem to recall you being a bit more worried a few months ago."

She scowled briefly, the sting slightly more than usual given the chill in the air. Of course he'd bring that up; it took four entire weeks for him not to burst into laughter every time they saw each other. "Yeah, and we worked through it _together_. That's what it's all about, right?"

Eugene nodded slowly, sighing heavily after a moment. "You can't just give me a straight answer, can you?" He rushed to amend his words when she shot him a positively gleeful smirk. "I meant an _easy_ answer! Easy! As in... not difficult!"

"Good example," Anna replied, allowing the moment to slide by without comment. "The simple answer is they don't exist."

He laughed, standing up and straightening out his dress shirt. "So they're right up there with unicorns then? Great. Well, thanks for your help anyway. I'll talk to her about it... sometime soon... I guess. Maybe."

"It'll work out." Anna assured with a wide smile. "Just follow your heart."

"Yeah. You coming in?"

The redhead laughed, getting up and following him across the porch. She was about to make a comment when the door opened, Kristoff stepping out and giving her a slightly nervous smile.

"Hey, Anna! Could I... uh... talk to you for a moment? Or at least talk _at_ you?"

Eugene threw her a smirk. "Someone's popular."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not like he's asking me for relationship advice." Her gaze shifted to the blond, smile growing a bit smaller at the worsening expression he wore. "Or... maybe he is."

"Good luck, buddy." Eugene gave his shoulder a few good natured pats, closing the door to give them privacy.

That's fine; she wasn't that cold anyway. They walked over to the bench, the redhead reclaiming her former spot while her best friend sat beside her, fiddling with his tie to buy himself some time.

"So..." He coughed into his hand. "I think Merida might be flirting with me."

Unsure whether to be exasperated or amused by that comment, the redhead tilted her head and feigned innocence. "Really? What makes you think that?"

She listened to him for twenty minutes, somehow managing to keep a straight face throughout Kristoff's verbal hemorrhage. Part of her was ecstatic about the chance to turn the tables and have an 'I told you so' moment over the blond, but she resisted for the time being, allowing him to run his course. Eventually, he talked _himself_ into figuring out where he stood with the Scot and thanked her for listening. After getting in a few mandatory teases about the 'love expert' himself come to _her_ for help, they just sat there for a little bit and soaked in the winter scene around them.

"You know, we don't really talk as much anymore," he said eventually, glancing at her. "Is it weird that it doesn't _feel_ like we're drifting apart?"

"Nah, we're just growing up," Anna replied with a laugh, shrugging slightly. Sure, they didn't see each other as much as when they were living together, but they were still close. She paused. " _That_ part is weird, though."

"What, did you think we'd just stay in college for the rest of our lives?"

"Would that be so bad?" She pointedly looked at her ring. "Uh, forget I said that."

They laughed, silence following shortly after like a blanket settling over them. It wasn't awkward, thankfully; more like comfortable and familiar.

"Anna." He swung his gaze over to her, a small grin on his lips. "You think the rest of us will be as happy as you and Elsa?"

"I don't get why everyone's suddenly measuring themselves against the two of us, but yeah." She nudged his shoulder. "As long as you go talk to a certain Scot and not my Snowflake."

The front door opened and Anna smiled wide, instantly standing up as Elsa stepped out onto the porch, though her gaze was on the other blond. "May I steal my fiancée back or are you two still talking?"

Kristoff stood up, grinning. "She's all yours."

"Better be," the blonde replied with a little extra smugness, nodding indoors. "Merida was looking for you, by the way." The door closed behind her best friend, leaving the couple alone in the cold night air, Elsa taking the spot Kristoff just vacated. However, that left just a bit too much space between them for her liking, so the redhead instantly cuddled up to her fiancée and nuzzled into the woman's chest as arms circled her. "Hmmmm, someone's affectionate."

"I'm your fiancée; I'm allowed to be affectionate." She mumbled in reply, the slight chill that had started her shivering chased out by the warmth filling her heart. "Can we stay out here for a little while?"

"You're going to get cold."

"Nuh-uh, not with you by my side!"

"Okay, and what if _I_ get cold?"

Anna pulled back just far enough to raise a brow at her. "The cold doesn't bother you, remember, oh Scandinavian Barbie?"

"Really? You go there first?" Fingers brushed against her sides, prompting her to tense. "Not even a 'Snowflake'? Someone needs to learn some manners."

"Oh, please, no, don't do it, come on, we're having a moment, no tickles!" The redhead started to squirm, which only made her fiancée hug her tighter as a show of mercy. Relaxing once more, Anna brushed a kiss to one rosy cheek. "I love you, Snowflake."

"I love you too, Sunshine." The blonde brushed a kiss against her temple. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

As they sat, curled around each other, Anna thought back to Eugene's comment, idly running her finger against the cool metal encircling her finger. She was going to be marrying the single most amazing woman she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, almost two years after giving up entirely on any sort of romantic pursuit. Somehow, she was now 'the experienced one' within her circle of friends in the romance department now.

Wasn't life funny, sometimes?

"Are you laughing?"

"I'm not trying to," she replied, fighting back giggles. "It's just something Eugene said. Apparently, I'm the romantically experienced one now and our relationship is the benchmark by which all other relationships are measured."

"That's vaguely terrifying." Elsa pressed another kiss below her ear. "Who are we supposed to turn to for help now? Our parents?"

"Hey," she said, poking the blonde. "Don't ruin a nice sentiment with such nightmares. Could either of us survive one conversation with my mother about sex?"

Just the idea had both of them busting out in laughter, curling further into their embrace in the process. They stayed out on the porch for another five minutes before heading inside and rejoining their friends, at Elsa's behest for her sake, seeing as she was already starting to shiver a bit more than was entirely healthy. Although Anna was eager to see how Elsa would like her Christmas present- matching monogrammed bathrobes and a monogrammed mahogany picture frame for the blonde's work desk- the couple remained at the party much longer than they expected, just chatting with their friends.

* * *

A few days later saw them on a plane bound for the Netherlands with Merida in tow. Ingvar's New Year's Party- that both of them were sure would double as an engagement party despite their objections; there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise- practically demanded their attendance, citing a litany of excuses that belied how badly he wanted to introduce his future daughter-in-law to the elite company that frequented the Aren estate for events such as this. On her second trip to the Netherlands, the redhead found it strangely easier to adjust her sleep schedule, though she wasn't able to completely dodge the jet lag. Not that she was complaining about immediately catching a nap with Elsa once they arrived.

Waking up to Ingvar's thinly veiled encouragement about 'enjoying' their stay, however, she had a few gripes about.

"I _told_ you this would happen." The redhead mumbled as they retreated to their room, keeping up her pouting until the blonde came over and hugged her.

"Would you rather go back to the first time you two met?" Anna sighed happily as lips skimmed across her neck, melting into the embrace.

"Well, no; I'm too terrified of your death glare to do something _that_ drastic." She earned a swat to her arm for that comment but laughed it off, heading to grab a fresh set of clothes from her suitcase. After a bit of a debate over breakfast, Anna had won the battle, insisting Elsa shower first, which would give her some time to catch a little bit more shut eye before properly greeting the day. Best to set everything up now so she wouldn't forget about it later. However, before she could get too far, she was redirected towards the bathroom. "Aren't you going to-"

"Merida is covering for us by telling my father I'm using her shower, the bedroom door's locked, there's another lock on the bathroom, and the stall fits two _quite_ comfortably," the blonde quickly supplied, slipping a familiar foil packet into her hand. "This is about as close to undisturbed intimacy as we're likely to get. Unless, of course, you're not up for it."

Anna turned, pulling her beloved into a fierce kiss that quickly dispelled any notion of objection on her part, smirking as she pulled away. "You're brilliant, my beloved Snowflake."

"I have my moments." Elsa was just a bit smug in her reply, nodding towards the bathroom. "Shall we?"

* * *

They emerged about an hour later, invigorated, refreshed, and a little sore... not necessarily in the fun way. The redhead had previously entertained the fantasy of sex in a shower; the reality was a mix of _really_ hot, pretty funny, and a little more dangerous than she thought possible.

Not that she was complaining. The tiles were a bit more slippery than she initially accounted for and it would've been _really_ embarrassing if they ended up seriously injuring themselves but, all in all, it was a pretty good experience.

* * *

Their wedding was an interesting affair, to be sure. Although there was a little resistance from Ingvar and Idunn- who had, quite frankly, never expected Elsa to have a tradition Norwegian wedding, but at least anticipated walking her down the aisle- and even some from Merida- Anna had never heard the terms 'frilly' and 'frou-frou' used so vehemently before- when the day finally came, everyone was excited. And emotional.

Very. Emotional.

Oh, and scared shitless for no reason. That, too.

"This is it." Anna breathed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her dress was breathtaking, an absolutely stunning combination of lace and fabric and these little pearls that caught the light just right. Alone, it was beautiful, and... she looked good in it too, she guessed. "This is it."

"It really is, Feisty Pants." Kristoff smiled, poking his head through the tent flap and jerking his head. "Everything's ready. Are you?"

"Oh, I'm ready. I'm _so_ ready. I'm- I'm- I'm scared out of my mind." Anna blew out a breath, growling at the end. "Why am I scared? I shouldn't be scared! I _know_ that! I'm marrying the- _literally_ , the most amazing, beautiful, brilliant, kind, caring woman on the face of the planet, _why am I scared_?"

"Because today's a day you never allowed yourself to dream about," her best friend replied, entering the tent fully and going to her side, putting a reassuring hand on her bare shoulder. "Today, you're affirming to everyone and anyone that, despite all the odds, you found something precious, something you're willing to fight for and protect. And you're not letting go, right?"

"Never." Anna breathed out, her shoulders beginning to lower as the weight of her anxiety started to slip away.

"Good." He chuckled. "Now, like I said, you never thought you'd get to this point, so you're staring out into the unknown and getting ready to jump. What's going to be waiting for you when you jump?"

"Not what... who." The redhead smiled, spinning around with a wide smile. "Elsa's going to be waiting."

"She already is." He smiled again, sweeping an arm towards the opening he'd just used. "Ready to jump, Feisty Pants?"

"Now I am!" She quickly snatched up her bouquet, smoothing out her dress one more time before starting for the exit. "Let's do this."

"That's my girl!" Kristoff laughed, pointing her towards the screen that was set up behind the guest seats, where her father was waiting. "I'll go take my place now. Wait for the music, okay?"

"I won't forget!" Anna assured him, hiking up her dress and practically running across the grass, catching her breath as she reached her father. The day was beautiful, sunny with just the lightest hint of a breeze, and the park was transformed from a simple little patch of land on the edge of the city to a hub of activity.

Cliff was wearing his very best tuxedo, a warm smile on his lips as tears pricked at his eyes. "My little girl. You look more beautiful than I'd ever imagined."

"Thanks, Dad." Anna hugged her father, smoothing out her dress and waiting for the musical cue as patiently as she could. "Have you seen Elsa yet?"

He chuckled, patting his daughter's hand as he slipped her arm through his. "Yes, I have, and trust me when I say: you need to lean _towards_ me when you see her."

The redhead raised a brow, unsure what to make of her father's advice but shoved it aside as the quiet park suddenly sprang to life, live music by her friends and setting Anna's heart fluttering. This was it. The big moment.

At the predetermined mark, Cliff and Anna stepped together around the barrier, both sides of the aisle filled with happy, friendly, and in some cases over enthusiastic faces. Both of their families were in attendance as well as their friends, those not a member of the wedding party standing among the rows of chairs. Even Mr. Westergard and his sons were in attendance, the thirteen men making the couple's acquaintance again during the New Year's party, though Hans was- quite thankfully- absent.

But when Anna's eyes landed on her soon-to-be wife, her heart stopped, her jaw dropped, and the world fell away. There, standing in a form fitting white tuxedo with blue trim and an undershirt that complimented her eyes so very, very well, was Elsa, gazing at the redhead with the most adoring, lovestruck expression she'd ever seen on the blonde. She looked magnificent, like a heavenly, sharply dressed angel come to earth, standing at the altar beneath an arch of roses, just waiting for her.

"One foot in front of the other, Anna." Cliff muttered, trying his hardest not to laugh as he half escorted, half dragged his daughter the rest of the way to the dais. Elsa stepped down from her spot beside the alter and Anna readily released her father's arm in exchange for the blonde's. "She's all yours, Elsa, and has been for a while. Please, take good care of her."

"I wouldn't dream of anything less, Dad," Elsa replied, unable to tear her gaze away from Anna. The redhead was having much the same issue.

When she did manage to look away, it was to see Merida, Olaf, and Marshall standing on Elsa's side, with the Scot taking the position of Maid of Honor. True, Elsa was technically the groom in this ceremony, but seeing as Anna had a Best Man, they thought it prudent to simply switch the titles.

And because Anna could not keep a straight face through telling Kristoff he was going to be the Maid of Honor. That may have been a factor as well.

Behind her, the redhead could feel the energy radiating off Kristoff, Rapunzel, and Vanessa but found it could barely hold a candle to the weird squirming her insides were doing, excitement and nerves clashing together until she couldn't tell the difference between the two.

As the music faded, the Pastor cleared his throat, smiling out across the assembly before his gaze landed on the two women before him. They hadn't known the man especially long but found his humor rather infectious; he certainly wasn't the traditional priest, which made him the perfect master of ceremonies for their somewhat unorthodox union.

"Dearly beloved, family, friends, various national powers, and whoever else decided to attend." He paused, waiting for the few chuckles and snorts to die down. "We gather here on this joyous day to bear witness to a magical moment in the lives of these two young women. This is the day they officially join their lives together as one, for all on Earth to see, the day they pledge their hearts to one another, and the day that they rake in awesome gifts- at least one of which will be a blender." More chuckles erupted from the guests and at least one of the groomsmen, most likely Olaf if Anna had to guess. If she was properly paying attention, it would probably be very obvious, but she was more interested in watching Elsa from the corner of her eye. "Regardless, today is not about the material or even the physical, no; today is a day of the spirit and the heart. Although this _is_ a binding ceremony, it is merely to affirm what can be seen so clearly by any and all who meet Elsa and Anna: that they are so deeply in love that their hearts beat in time, that their souls are merged into one being, and that they are at all times so engrossed in each other, neither has any clue what the minister is saying right now."

Anna felt the blonde beside her stiffen at the same time she did, their gazes snapping to the robed man before them, a raised brow and smirk on his face as the congregation snickered.

"Welcome back to the party, you two." He gently chastised, sweeping his gaze over the wedding guests. "Really, though, whatever I can say about the relationship built between these two will never truly do their love justice; it is something beyond words. Still, as we are each human, as we each struggle and triumph in our personal ways, Elsa and Anna will speak their own vows, pledges to each other, promises they not only _intend_ to keep but are _looking forward_ to keeping, to further distinguish their union as something they have forged together. Elsa, you first."

Anna turned, facing the blonde and fighting to keep herself from swooning. Maybe it was the way that tux hugged her body, maybe it was the way those blue eyes were shining with love, maybe it was the golden sun necklace sitting proudly against the blue of her shirt and beneath her bowtie; whatever it was, the way Elsa looked in this moment was something the redhead never wanted to forget. They held each other's hands, light tremors running through both of them, a combination of nerves and excitement.

"Anna, my eternal Sunshine," Elsa said, her voice holding that same tenderness as when they made love for the first time. "Despite all the languages I know, there's no way to put into words how you make me feel. The moment we met was the first time I ever thought something was missing in my life; it took almost losing you to realize that _you_ were that something." The blonde's shoulders dropped slightly, smile turning wistful. "I know I haven't always made it easy on you, Anna. We've had our disagreements and our hard times; I've had my moments of doubt and frustration. But today, there's no place I could even imagine myself being other than right here, standing before you, asking you to join your life to mine for the rest of our days. I love you dearly, Anna, and I'm yours. For now, forever."

The redhead sniffled, trying to hold back the tears of joy.

"I promise, before our friends and family-" she glanced at the minister "-and whoever _this_ guy is-"

"Hey, the position of wise-cracking minister has already been taken." He smiled, raising a brow. "Unless you want to switch places?"

"Never," Elsa replied, prompting another giggle from Anna before the blonde continued. "Anna, I promise before everyone that I will love, honor, and cherish you; that I will be your staunchest supporter and closest confidant; that I will take you as you are, every inch that constitutes your being, your faults and your scars, wholly and fully. No matter what distance separates us, you will never be far from my heart, for you will always be my one and only Sunshine."

Dimly, she was aware of the various cooing and awing coming from the assembled guests. Over Elsa's shoulder, she could see Merida rolling her eyes, though the action seemed a bit forced, and she bit back a laugh at Olaf practically bouncing in place.

The minister turned towards the redhead. "Your turn, Anna."

She took a deep breath, barely able to remember the words she'd rehearsed barely an hour prior. However, once she raised her gaze to meet Elsa's, what she'd written didn't seem to matter, and she spoke straight from the heart.

"Elsa, meeting you has changed my life in so many ways- good, _good_ ways- that it's hard to recognize myself sometimes, and I couldn't be happier about that! We've come this far, side-by-side the whole way, but we've still got a long way to go. I'm not going to let you take all the credit for the difficulties we've faced but I look forward to every challenge we've yet to encounter because I _know_ there's no other place for me than right here, with you." She lifted a hand, cupping Elsa's cheek gently and giggling when the blonde leaned into her touch. "I love you, Elsa, like I've never loved anyone before, and I want you to never question that I'll always be here for you. When you need someone to lean on, I will be your crutch. When you need someone to cling to, I'll be your rock. When you find yourself lost, I will be your light to guide you home. When the world is too much and you just want to retreat, I will be your castle, and you will always be safe in my arms. You are my precious Snowflake and I _could not_ ask for more."

With tears forming in her eyes, Elsa's hands suddenly slipped around her waist and Anna was all too eager to meet the blonde halfway, gripping onto the lapels of her tuxedo, ready to lose herself in the embrace of her love-

-until a hand suddenly struck forward and blocked their path to each other.

"Hey, cool it you two," the minister said softly, a grin tugging at his lips. "We're not to the fun part yet!"

With matching blushes and a little reluctance, Elsa and Anna settled back in their positions, apologetically nodding to their audience as everyone did their best to stifle giggles. Pulling his hand back once he was sure they wouldn't immediately try again, the minister continued the ceremony.

"Folks, I've stood here many times, uniting the hearts and lives of people of every size and shape, every color and creed, and I tend to hurry things along because I really hate this uniform." He pulled at his collar to illustrate his point. "But here and now, I'll be honest- I'm tempted to drag this one out."

Anna whipped her head to the side, glaring at the minister, noting Elsa was giving him much the same expression from the corner of her eye. His response was to laugh.

"And _that_ right there is why, ladies and gentlemen! All too often, two hearts- two lives only become joined to one another after the ceremony is completed." He reached out to gently clap a hand on each woman's shoulder. "But not with these two. Today, this ceremony is a mere formality; from the moment I met Elsa and Anna, I could see their hearts and souls were so entwined, it would be impossible to separate one from the other. They share one life, far more intimately than any mere piece of paper or title could coerce." Anna relaxed, returning her gaze to the beautiful woman in front of her, her smile returning as those blue eyes met hers, shining with barely restrained tears of happiness. "True love is a fickle creature- difficult to find and nearly impossible to tame! Yet, here it stands before you, as plain as day, and though they share this deep and strong love, they are not blinded by it. They acknowledge that there are still trials ahead of them, troubles that will test them, but they relish the challenge, confident in the knowledge that they will never be alone in facing whatever may come." He squeezed their shoulders. "Rarely am I so honored to witness a love as pure as theirs. With that said, I think I've tortured these two enough. The rings, please."

Anna turned, accepting the ring from Kristoff and feeling a nervous energy running through her as she held the cool metal. Upon Elsa's insistence, they'd opted to join their engagement rings to their wedding rings a few weeks prior to the ceremony, seeing as they shared the same motif, and she'd sorely missed the contact ever since. With subdued diamonds peppering the band, the light could catch each ring's design brilliantly- Anna's the snowflake while Elsa's had a sunburst.

As Elsa turned back to her, the redhead felt herself calm considerably, offering her right hand as they finally reached the moment she'd simultaneously dreamed of and dreaded. The last moment she could realistically back away from the future she craved. The fear fell away as their gazes locked once more.

"Do you, Miss Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren, take Miss Anna Andersen as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad times, until death do you part?"

"I do... and even after," the blonde replied, gently slipping the ring onto Anna's finger. She nearly lost her composure right there, only managing to keep a handle on it thanks to the promise of getting to return the favor shortly as the minister turned towards her.

"And do you, Miss Anna Andersen, take Miss Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad times, until death do you part?"

"I do," she said, gently sliding the ring onto Elsa's finger and feeling her heart swell at the pure joy and love she could see reflecting in her new wife's eyes. "For ever, for always."

"Then, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you wife and wife." The minister lowered his voice slightly. "Okay, _n_ _ow_ , you may do the thing."

They needed no further prompting. Surging forward, Anna wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist as their lips met, feeling the ever pleasant sensation of familiar arms sliding around her shoulders. The kiss started off chaste enough as their audience began clapping, but soon the world fell away and Anna began to lose herself to the feeling of Elsa's lips against hers as their passion rose.

"Hey, whoa, I didn't mean _that_ thing!" The minister gently chided. "Save that for the honeymoon you two!"

" _That's_ the hard part." Elsa muttered, smiling as she fought to catch her breath.

Anna couldn't agree more, pulling Elsa towards her to plant a gentle kiss against her lips. "But we'll try to behave for now."

The minister nodded, coaxing them into turning to face their audience with their arms linked.

"Now, may I officially present to everyone for the first time, Mrs. Elsa and Anna Aren!"

Anna felt her cheeks begin to cramp with how wide she was smiling but she didn't care. As everyone rose and applauded them, the redhead turned her head to see Elsa staring straight at her.

"I love you, Snowflake," she said without thinking, linking their hands together.

"I love you too, Sunshine." Elsa reached up, brushing her fingers gently against the redhead's cheek. "More than I'll ever be able to say."

"That's okay." She winked. "Tonight, you can show me."

They both laughed lightly, taking their first steps as a married couple down the aisle, smiling and waving with their free hands at their assembled loved ones. All the way up to the reception, they didn't let go of each other.

* * *

The reception was... _exactly_ what anyone could expect from such an event, given the names on the guest list.

Sitting at the main table, Elsa and Anna were surrounded by their friends, though the redhead admittedly wasn't paying much attention to anyone aside from her _wife_.

Wow.

Just... just wow.

They were married. As exciting and wonderful as that thought was, there was still some little portion of her that couldn't believe it. She was _married_. _She_ was married, to the most beautiful, kindhearted, forgiving, downright wonderful human beings on the planet- her Elsa, _her_ Elsa, her one and only!

"Sunshine?" Her gaze snapped to meet her wife's, having zoned out at some point while staring at her. The blonde was smiling, blue eyes sparkling as she squeezed Anna's hand. "Are you alright?"

"I've never been better," she replied without thinking, leaning forward to claim another kiss that her beloved was all too happy to melt into, giggling the moment they broke apart.

"Hello? Is this thing on?" Kristoff tapped against the microphone a few times until he got the feedback he was obviously looking for, drawing everyone's attention and annoyance effectively. "Great. I think it's about that time for the best friends of the happy couple to embarrass them- oh, I mean _honor_ them, of course, so please give Mrs. and Mrs. Aren a round of applause before they bury their heads in the tablecloth for the rest of the night."

Elsa leaned towards her slightly, a polite smile on her face. "How bad do you think they're going to get?"

"Knowing Kristoff?" She laughed eying her best friend as he motioned for Merida to join him on the bandstand. "Well, he's not as vicious or ruthless as our parents, so we'll be fine."

"The _first_ thing we hafta do, o' course, is pull ou' our phones!" The fiery Scot drawled, somehow sounding at least a little intoxicated and startlingly lucid at the same time. In the intervening months, Merida had worked ridiculously hard on speaking so that Kristoff could understand her easier, her accent subsiding in most conversation unless she was particularly incensed or talking with her family. "Mark th' calendars, folks; ten months from now, there'll be a new Aren!"

Elsa and Anna groaned in unison, their gazes drifting to Ingvar.

"It wasn't me this time!" He immediately protested, pointing towards Bulda, who was giggling like mad.

"Sorry, you two, our hands were tied." The blond shrugged, offering a weak smile in his defense and quickly moving along. "Anyway, we'd like to propose a toast!" He picked up a champagne glass, the rest of the reception party mimicking the movement. "Anna, I've been your best friend for years. Now, I think I share that duty with Elsa, and I couldn't ask for a better partner in driving you insane." Everyone laughed and even the redhead had to roll her eyes. "Really, there's no better match for you. Elsa's wonderfully stubborn, emphatically dedicated, and she loves you so much, it's hard to imagine things going any differently than now. I know you've had a hard time on the road to where you are now but I also know you've got what it takes to go the distance, Feisty Pants. Regardless, here's my advice: don't lose sight of what's really important, don't be afraid to be weak, and don't you _ever_ make me go dressing shopping for or with you again, because that was _awful_ and I just don't have the shoulders to pull off strapless like you do."

Everyone laughed and, this time, Anna nearly dropped her glass. Okay, so she _might've_ got a bit more mileage out of embarrassing her best friend than was entirely necessary.

"An' Elsa, mah dear mukker, wha' a fine mess ye'r in now." The Scot smirked, laughing as the blonde made a show of sighing heavily and shaking her head. "There was a time when ye told me ye'd sooner run away ta some monastery in India than get shackled ta someone. Fer what it's worth, Ah'm glad ye changed yer mind." Her expression softened considerably. "Ah never thought ye culd be as happy as Anna makes ye an' Ah'm doubly happy ta be proven wrong. Just this once." Everyone chuckled as she gestured with her glass. "An' Anna, what a difference ye've made. Yer support an' dedication have really saved us all a lot o' headaches; it can't be easy standin' up ta Her Majesty when she's angry, but ye've done it. Elsa, Ah'll come over an' give ye a beatin' if ye screw this up, that's a promise! So, here's mah advice fur avoidin' that: take tha time ta listen ta her, take tha time ta appreciate her, an' take tha time ta remember that any union is like a bank account. Ye only have what ye put into it, it'll change over tha years but always increase in value if ye invest, an' closin' it ou' results in _far_ too many penalties."

Elsa nodded somberly, turning her head enough to catch the redhead's gaze the two sharing a sweet kiss before their friends continued.

"So, here's a toast to our best friends, who've found best friends in each other."

"Ta honor tha commitment ye'll bear in tha years ta come."

"To remind you that we're all here beside you, when things get tough."

"An' ta drink ourselves under tha table in the meantime."

They raised their glasses and spoke in unison. "Mrs. and Mrs. Aren, may you both continue down this road and find all the love, joy, and peace you both deserve." **  
**

As everyone drank from their glasses, the newly married couple exchanged a glance loaded with the affection they felt for their friends before following suit. In the back of her mind, Anna added another promise to the vows she'd made earlier in the day: keep her friends. Their support was absolutely astounding throughout everything they'd been through and so very touching.

"Sunshine?" Her attention snapped to her wife once more, smile becoming even brighter as the title passed through her mind. "It's time for our dance."

The redhead looked up, seeing both Ingvar and Cliff heading towards them and Kristoff and Merida leaving allowing the band to take their spots. Taking her father's hand, Anna followed him out to the dance floor ahead of Ingvar and Elsa, tears springing to her eyes for absolutely no reason that she could possibly think of aside from how unbelievably happy she was. After a moment, the band started to play a slow waltz, both sets of fathers and daughters moving to the music.

"If it's any consolation, your mother cried at our wedding, too," Cliff said with a grin, glancing towards his wife. "Laughed and cried through most of it, actually. My mother was convinced I'd done something wrong."

"Really? Grandma Andersen thought you'd screwed up your own wedding day?" She pulled away the hand resting on his shoulder to wipe away her tears, accepting his handkerchief a moment later. It removed some of her make-up too but, if Elsa was being honest, she didn't really need it anyway.

"Hey, you know how it goes; if she's upset, it's usually _his_ fault." He shrugged, bending forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "But I know you'll do everything in your power to avoid that."

She nodded. "You taught me well. Mom, too."

As the song wound down, her father smiled, a single tear slipping down his cheek. "And we are _so_ proud of the person you've become, Anna."

They hugged, only letting go when a hand landed on her shoulder, her wife smiling reassuringly and the traces of her own tears already wiped away. With a kiss to her father's cheek, Anna stepped into Elsa's arms, hardly surprised when a familiar guitar strain started up and officially began their first dance as a married couple.

 _"Wise men say only fools rush in..."_

She'd specifically told Elsa to surprise her, that it would be practice for whenever something came up unexpectedly that threw them off.

 _"... but I can't help falling in love with you."_

Best. Surprise. Ever.

And just when she was expecting it, Elsa started singing. _"Take my hand, take my whole life too_ _."_

Together, they sang the next line. _"For I can't help falling in love with you."_

"This truly is the happiest the day of my life, Sunshine." The blonde whispered, looking on the verge of tears again.

She _completely_ understood the feeling. "Mine too, Snowflake. But tomorrow will be better."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. It's one more day I'll have with you."

A brilliant smile was the only response before they were kissing again, losing themselves in each other as the song finished, to the cheers thundering around them and at least one lewd catcall- which Rapunzel promptly smacked Eugene for, much to his protest. From there, the night marched steadily into the wee hours of the morning, with so many people congratulating the new couple, it was a little difficult to get everyone's name straight, much less muster an intelligent reply. Especially when every glance at her new wife had Anna bursting at the seams with giddy excitement.

* * *

They honeymooned in Norway, in the same town Elsa was born. For most of the time they were there, a horrible snowstorm raged just outside the hotel.

They were blissfully unaware of it.

* * *

Author's Note: I wrote the wedding scene _right_ after finishing the scene with Anna punching out Hans in _The Kingdom_. That was the moment I realized it didn't really _fit_ with the rest of what I'd written and I needed to write another fic. I also went to a wedding while writing this, which did help with some of the ideas.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer** : I. Own. Nothing. For those of you thinking 'double update?', yes, I unfortunately missed yesterday's (and another day's) and I'm trying to catch up while I have the time. We're almost done. Seriously. No original ideas here, whatsoever. Anyway, happy holidays to all of you!

* * *

With Elsa gearing up to take her father's position, the blonde was spending more and more time at the regional office. It hadn't put a damper on their couple time, seeing as the blonde no longer had college to worry about, but it did limit when they could meet up with friends.

Anna, of course, was totally on top of it, scheduling bi-weekly meals with as many people as were available that particular week. She was splitting her time between summer classes to offset changing her major and working a few hours here and there, leaving her just enough time to keep in touch with everyone. It bugged her sometimes that she couldn't contribute towards their bills but Elsa assured her that she needed the social interactions far more than they needed a few hundred dollars in their bank account.

This particular week, Elsa was running late and Kristoff had completely forgotten to buy 'normal' food- Merida was staying with Kristoff and Sven for a few weeks and was teaching them how to cook traditional Scottish meals- which left Anna and Sven in charge of rounding up some dinner, not that either was complaining. Sven was craving some easy take out and Anna couldn't remember the last time she'd had Chinese.

Rumbling along in Elsa's old truck that had become Kristoff's baby and Sven's project, the redhead nodded along to the music on the stereo as her quietest friend drove. Seeing as the blonde no longer needed or wanted to hide her heritage, the truck had officially passed into Kristoff's ownership months ago, which was surprisingly helpful for how sparingly it was used.

"Congratulations," Sven suddenly announced, eyes riveted to the road. Anna waited a moment for him continue, not wanting to rush him. "I never said that, during your wedding. I want to. To you and Elsa. She's nice."

"Hey, that's my wife you're talking about." She teased, noting the way his lips twitched into a smile. "We really appreciated your help with the Golf last week, by the way."

Her friend shrugged, always modest when someone addressed his gift with mechanics. "No problem."

She really doubted replacing brake lines was as easy as Sven made it sound but let it slide, reaching over to adjust the volume on the radio. Something about the piano intro to the song seemed really familiar, but she couldn't put a name to it until the first line came through the speakers. As the song continued, Anna's hand slowly fell back to her lap, vision blurring as she got lost in the lyrics and, before she could really think things through, she was pulling out her phone and doing the math in her head.

"Everything okay?" Sven had given her a few minutes after the song ended to prod, a slight frown tugging at his lips. It quickly turned around when she shot him a beaming smile.

"Absolutely!" She squirmed in her seat, planning out her conversation with Elsa. It would probably wouldn't take more than one long discussion to get the blonde on board but she was suddenly extremely motivated to go through with it anyway, regardless of the challenges introducing a child to their lives might provide.

* * *

A week later, she brought up the prospect of children to her wife while they sat down to dinner. Although initially a bit confused- they'd only been married for a few months, after all- Elsa quickly became just as enamored with the idea as the redhead, pulling up the calendar on her phone while Anna did some online research about menstrual cycles.

After they identified the dates- and agreed to take some time off from work so they could both... perform to the best of their abilities- they returned to their meal.

"Why now?" Elsa raised a brow, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "I'm not complaining; I'm just curious. You seem very... invested in the timing of it all."

"I looked at a calendar. If everything goes according to plan, she'll be born with your birthstone." Anna smiled, shrugging as she tried to play it off. "That means I can have a little version of you to love."

The blonde laughed, entwining their hands on the table. "I suppose we'll have to have another, then. It's only fair if I have a little version of you, too."

"Maybe you should see how the first pregnancy goes before signing yourself up for round two." The redhead teased, lifting their hands to press a soft kiss to her wife's and trying not to bounce up and down in her seat. "But.. two children sounds wonderful. How about three?"

"Four? More? Hmmm." Elsa took a sip of her wine, idly regarding the glass before setting it back down. "I suppose I'll have to give up wine for a bit. A small price to pay, really."

Anna wasn't quite certain how much of the conversation was light teasing and how much was Ingvar's influence for a big family. "How about we wait and see how things go before making those decisions?"

"If we must," the blonde replied, lips tugging into a grin. Anna had expected the conversation to generate some excitement, sure, but she could practically _feel_ the energy running through her wife, which just made her even happier. "It's going to be hard, though. I'm supposed to be taking over at the start of the next fiscal year."

"And I've still got school and work." The redhead pouted. "It does seem like poor timing..."

Elsa reached over, gently taking hold of her hand and threading their fingers together. "Sunshine, you'll be graduated by the time the child is born."

"But you'll need me while you're pregnant and I want to be there for you."

"You will be," the blonde said, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "You haven't let me down yet."

Anna badly wanted to point out that her wife's statement wasn't entirely true but opted against it, instead scooting her chair closer and returning the affection, lips skimming the sensitive skin beneath Elsa's ear. "We'll get through this."

"There's no doubt." The blonde sighed. "Plus, my father expressed an interest in having an increased presence in the Americas. He actually wants me to stay at the regional office for a while to oversee the opening of more stores."

"Oh? You didn't mention this before."

"I thought perhaps you'd assume it was _my_ idea if I brought it up before the plans are set." Her wife laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Either way, it means that I'll be remaining in America for a few more years, at the very least, after assuming control of the company. Probably long enough for our house to be finished."

The redhead couldn't stifle a giggle as she thought back to the schematics for their American home. Although she was almost guaranteed to spend a few years living in the Netherlands in the near future, it was nice having a house to come back to in her home country.

* * *

Several months later, after the two year anniversary of their meeting, Anna paced in front of the bathroom, trying not to act as anxious as she felt. It was silly, how badly she wanted this to work but _damnit_ did she want this to work!

She'd done the math at least six times after riding with Sven. It wasn't like she was going to be destroyed if it didn't take but... well, if it _did_ then that would be _amazing_! And the waiting was killing her! It was already over a month; weren't there supposed to be signs? Obvious ones? Why did they have to rely on a test anyway?

She whirled instantly at the sound of a door opening, watching as Elsa stepped out holding the pregnancy test delicately in one hand. Her mouth fell open but no sound came out, some part of her too scared to ask.

But then Elsa was smiling, holding out the test so she could see the two little lines. When the redhead just stared- some part of her refusing to believe their good fortune- her wife laughed. "That means yes, Sunshine."

"You- You're- pre..."

"We. We're pregnant."

Anna's mind broke, smiling just as wide as their wedding day as she rushed forward and scooped the beautiful woman in front of her into her arms, laughing.

Anna leaned in for a kiss as she slowly began wrapping her mind around their new reality. They were going to be _parents_. There was nothing in the world that could reach either of them for the rest of the day; they snuggled up on the couch and just absorbed the moment, their hands clasped together and settled against the blonde's lower abdomen.

* * *

Anna bit her lip, eyes darting to the clock inbetween watching Elsa's face. Some part of her was saying how this was natural, had happened _literally_ billions upon billions of times all over the world for untold thousands of years, but that didn't wipe away the worry shooting through her system at seeing her beloved wife in pain. They'd been at the hospital for hours; Anna kinda lost track of how many, seeing as she was looking at it as a countdown. She was also far more concerned with doing whatever Elsa needed to help, even if all she could really do was be supportive and take the light complaining with a soft smile.

Even as it morphed into something a bit more serious than 'light' complaining. The redhead was honestly counting herself lucky that her wife didn't seem intent on hurling death threats at her; she'd heard some real horror stories from other parents about that sort of stuff.

"Okay, Elsa, looks like you're ready to go." The Doctor sat back, smiling as he tucked a flashlight pen into his coat pocket. "I'll go get washed up and you can start pushing. Anna, please come with me."

"I'll be right back, Snowflake." The redhead assured, pressing a kiss to Elsa's forehead. "Right back, I swear. _I love you._ "

" _Please, hurry. This is torture!_ " Elsa's face pinched as another contraction tore through her and it was like a stab to Anna's heart that she had to leave, that there was nothing she could do.

She might've lingered had the Doc not put his hand on her shoulder and guided her away. "The best thing you can do right now is change quickly, okay?"

"Right." The redhead quickly collected the set of scrubs the hospital was kind enough to lend her, rushing into a nearby room to change and throwing her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it from her eyes. She almost didn't bother putting her shoes back on as she heard Elsa yell out in pain, dashing back into the room and to her wife's side. " _I'm here, Snowflake, I'm here_."

" _I've never been in so much pain_." The blonde panted, once again wracked by another contraction as the Doctor and a slew of nurses filed into the room. " _Please, I can't take much more_."

" _I know, I know, Snowflake, it'll be over soon_." Anna glanced up at the clock. Soon, just hopefully not _too_ soon. " _Hold on a little longer, my love_."

"Okay, we're all ready on this end. Elsa, are you ready to start pushing?"

Elsa looked at the Doctor first, then to Anna. " _I just want this over with. What times is it_?"

" _I know, Snowflake_." Anna glanced at the clock. Crap, was half an hour too much time? The decision was made for her, though, when another powerful contraction caused Elsa to cry out. As it died down, the redhead squeezed Elsa's hand. " _Go ahead and push, Elsa, please_."

The blonde blearily looked at the clock herself, grimacing. " _It's not the tenth_."

" _I don't care. You're in too much pain, Snowflake. Please, push on the next one_." She pressed her lips to the hand held tight in hers. "Please."

"Remember, just go slow initially," the Doctor said.

That was the last thing Anna really heard for what felt like a small eternity. On the next contraction, Elsa started pushing, apparently pouring her heart and soul into bringing their precious baby girl into the world. It tore at Anna, not being able to help or lessen the pain, but she did her best to keep her wife calm and reminding her to breathe.

She didn't bother checking the clock anymore. She didn't even wince as the blonde practically crushed her hand. All her energy was focused on watching her wife and praying her pain would be over soon.

"Okay, Anna, move down here now." The Doctor beckoned her over, though she was quite unwilling to leave Elsa's side. "I can see her head and there's her shoulders; it won't be much longer."

"But-"

" _Go._ " Elsa gritted out, in the middle of another push as she released Anna's hand and grabbed a fistful of the hospital sheet. " _Go_."

With more than a little hesitance, Anna joined the Doctor, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched their baby girl enter the world inch by inch.

"Okay, Elsa, if you're feeling up to the challenge, one more push should do the trick." The Doctor smiled, helping position Anna's hands and the blanket she held as she prepared to hold their little girl for the first time. "Ready when you are."

The blonde groaned, mustering her strength for one last push, and then...

... and then, Anna was holding her, Idelia Katherine Elsa Aren, her first born child, _their_ first born child, with a little tuft of hair as light as her mother's, covered in fluids, and her tiny limbs stretching out with new-found freedom, testing her tiny little lungs as she screamed. Some part of her- the part that refused to believe the doctors and the pictures and the assurances to the contrary- was finally silenced as she gazed upon her daughter, who didn't have any extra parts to her, but was in her arms nonetheless, as real as real could get.

"Elsa... she's beautiful. Look, look!" Anna quickly wrapped the baby in the blanket and carried her to Elsa, tears gathering in her eyes. "It's our daughter, Snowflake. She's so beautiful, just look at her!"

Weary from the ordeal, it took a moment for Elsa to sit up enough to see, a new fount of energy welling up within her at the sight of little Idelia. Anna passed the quieting bundle carefully to her exhausted wife, putting an arm around Elsa's shoulders and the other under her arms, holding her family close as they gazed upon their child.

" _She is, so, so beautiful. Our little girl, finally here_." Out of breath, Elsa didn't bother fighting the happy tears as they came, streaming down her cheeks. Anna couldn't hold back either, love and pride swelling within her as she watched Elsa and Idelia.

She remembered Ingvar's words to her what seemed like ages ago and now, truly, she understood; this little, tiny human was now the center of her universe, right beside her mother. They were the stars she would orbit for all time after this moment.

"And look at that; she arrived right on time." Anna turned her attention to the Doctor as he looked over one of the nurse's notes. When he looked at her, his smile was wide. "The birth certificate will officially read: Idelia Katherine Elsa Aren, born on the tenth of June of twenty-seventeen at twelve-oh-one A.M."

The redhead just blinked, her mind shutting down, and it ended up being Elsa to laugh and acknowledge the Doctor's statement.

"It seems you got your wish, Sunshine."

That... that meant...

Fresh tears began falling from her eyes as Anna laughed, a new surge of joy filling her at the news.

"Okay, with a reaction like that, I _have_ to ask: what's so special about the day?" The Doctor raised a brow, hands on his hips as he observed the new family.

"It's a special day for us," Anna replied, her attention focused on Elsa as the blonde furrowed her brows in confusion, obviously trying to discern whether there _was_ some sort of significance to the day that she simply couldn't remember in her weary state. "Do you know how many days it's been since you met your wife, Doctor?"

"Not off the top of my head. I presume you do?"

Anna nodded, smiling even wider. "One thousand and one." Elsa's eyes grew large, mouth falling open in shock. "Today marks the ending of the thousandth story and the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. I wanted it to be a day we won't _ever_ forget."

The Doctor laughed, still not quite understanding the significance but recognizing that it meant something to the two women before him. "I'd say mission accomplished on that front."

"Anna... really?" Elsa looked at the bundle in her arms.

"Yes, Scheherazade." Anna pressed a kiss against the blonde's temple. "I did the math last year. I honestly didn't think we'd get down to the exact day... but I was _really_ hoping for it."

The blonde chuckled weakly, smiling as Idelia began to cry again. "Hmmm, she takes after you, my Sultan. I... can't take my eyes off her."

"But mostly after you," she replied, giving her wife a kiss on the lips. "I love her _so_ much."

When Idelia eventually stopped crying, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking slightly under the bright hospital lights. The first thing she saw, of course, was her parents looking down at her, just like Elsa had hoped.

"Her eyes are blue." Anna noted, sniffling slightly and laughing.

"All babies have blue eyes, Sunshine."

"No, not this blue. This is _your_ blue." She pressed another kiss to Elsa's temple. "I love you, Snowflake. And you too, my little Raindrop."

"Raindrop?"

"Yeah, because a raindrop can become a snowflake."

"I don't think that's how weather works." Elsa leaned further into Anna's embrace. "Plus, raindrops evaporate in the sun. And what are we going to call the others?"

Anna raised a brow, trying very _very_ hard not to sound too excited when she replied. "Others?"

The blonde nodded lazily. "I want more. One, maybe two. I want her to have siblings to play with and torment and support. The pain is excruciating but... _oh_ so worth it."

She felt her wife shift but silenced the impending question with a kiss against her forehead. "Of course, Snowflake. As many as you want."

* * *

It took quite a bit more time for both mother and daughter to be cleaned up after the birthing process, and then for the present nurses to cover the basics for the new parents. Once Idelia was wearing her first diaper, finished her first breastfeeding, and successfully burped for the first time- Anna was very thorough in documenting all these firsts, seeing as her wife was almost too weary to do more than lovingly cradle their child- the redhead managed to borrow a wheelchair and help Elsa into it, wheeling her family out into the waiting room to be introduced to the members of their 'kingdom', so to speak.

Though still fighting through a wave of hormones and exhaustion, Elsa was mentally present enough to specifically forbid Anna from recreating that scene from _The Lion King_ like she'd joked about. Kristoff and Sven bowed anyway, prompting the rest of their friends to follow along, and Eugene even offered his own intentionally off key vocals.

Personally, Anna thought it was a missed opportunity, but was too damn happy to care.

Idelia's grandparents were the only ones able to match- and in Ingvar's case, vastly exceed- the new parents' levels of happiness. Although their friends were certainly excited, the guys- except for Olaf- seemed terrified of breaking Idelia because of her tiny size while the gals- except Merida- were more content to make silly faces and leave her in her mother's arms. Anna did take over holding Idelia briefly, long enough for Ingvar and Elsa to embrace, but returned their daughter to the blonde and excusing them so everyone could get some well deserved rest.

* * *

Anna sighed, rolling her neck to work out the stiffness as she trudged up the stairs. It was a _long_ day at the office after a temporary blackout put them way behind schedule but everything got finalized and submitted on time and, all in all, no damage done. Just a few more grey hairs to add from stress, that's all.

She'd called Elsa to let her know, so the blonde wouldn't expect her home on time and so she could be ready to explain that to their kids after picking them up from school and daycare.

All four of them.

Idelia, being the oldest, had probably located her sisters long before Elsa arrived to make things easier for her parents; their eldest was nothing if not extremely responsible for a nine year old. Anna was beginning to suspect the whole 'CEO' thing was secretly some sort of hereditary trait.

However, knowing their children as she did, Anna didn't expect the others made it easy for their sister. Krystal, their energetic, seven year old daughter, most likely made her sister chase her before relenting while Eva, their five year old, teased them both from the sidelines.

Really, picking up little Executus from daycare was the easiest in comparison, by a long shot.

At the top of the stairs, Anna paused, loosening her tie slowly as she listened for any sign of life. A short peel of laughter caught her ear and set her legs in motion, turning down the hall towards Idelia's bedroom. With every step, Elsa's voice became clearer as the blonde recited one of the many bedtime stories they took turns reading to the children.

She stopped at the doorway, taking in the sight of her family. Elsa was propped up against the headboard, Executus lying on her chest, Eva sitting in her lap, and Krystal and Idelia on either side, an arm around each while Eva held the book open for all of them to see.

Idelia looked and acted just as Elsa had when she was a child, serious and studious but willful and stubborn, according to Idunn. Her wife had already started explaining their family's long standing tradition- not because she wanted to introduce their daughter to the world of CEOs quite yet but because their ever curious daughter wondered why her momma was the only one with different initials- and Idelia seemed interested, though they tried their best not to push her. It was a decision she would make in time, they were sure.

Ilene Krystal Estelle, on the other hand, was every bit like Anna. Well, almost. Krystal managed to inherit most of Anna's defining traits- not her _best_ traits, per say, seeing as Krys had developed a bad habit of rambling at the wrong moments shortly after learning how to talk- except when it came to, well... physically.

All of their children managed to dodge that bullet, actually, something for which Anna was ceaselessly grateful. Not that she hadn't become extremely appreciative for her difference over the years- because how would she have four beautiful, amazing children otherwise?- but Anna was quite content that _none_ of her kids would face the growing pains she did.

Ina Kassandra Eva, on quite the other hand, had all of Elsa's looks and poise coupled with Anna's mischievousness and charm. Though she rarely instigated anything between her elder siblings, any time Elsa and Anna were discovering the scene of their children's latest game, Eva made sure she was as far from the impact area as possible, wearing the most innocent expression she could muster.

Not than it fooled her parents but they had to grudgingly admire her cleverness.

Really, it was something of a blessing that their daughters- for all their differences- got along so well. Sure, there were disagreements and teasing, but Kristoff and Merida assured them that it was just siblings being siblings and they had nothing to worry about, yet. Merida warned them to keep battle axes and swords out of their reach until they were at least past their early tweens- just in case.

Their little brother Ingvar Kliff Executus, however, was a complete surprise. Not only his conception but his sex too, though neither of his grandfathers were of a mind to complain. While they were glad to finally have a bit more testosterone around, there was a certain excitement for when he got older and could really bond with the men, Cliff talking about football while Ingvar advocated carpentry, both of them settling on fishing as a suitable pastime. That was a ways off, though; unlike their daughters- whose births their mothers planned out to be roughly two years apart- Executus was just about two and a half years younger than Eva.

One thousand and two days younger, to be precise. And they didn't even _try_ for that one.

"Momma's home!" Krystal shouted, wriggling away from her mother so she could get off the bed, Eva not far behind while Idelia calmly joined her sisters as they mobbed the elder redhead.

"Oh, my sweet little girls! Momma's sorry she had to work late." Anna pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks, herding them back towards the bed. "Can I listen to the story, too? You know I love Mommy's stories."

"Can you do the funny voices?"

"Of course, Krys." She helped her younger two daughters onto the bed, claiming the spot next to Elsa for herself and accepting her wife's kiss. "So, where are we?"

"Hold on, don't jump in yet." Elsa chuckled, her arms full with a squirming Executus who was holding out his hands to his Momma. "I think we need to adjust the seating arrangement first."

With a smile, Anna took Executus, allowing him to cling to her chest and tuck his head under her chin, while wrapping one arm around Idelia and holding her close, her other arm around Elsa's shoulders as the blonde leaned into Anna's other side. Eva climbed into Elsa's lap, snuggling up to her mother while the blonde wrapped an arm around Krystal and drew her energetic daughter into her side. Krystal and Idelia once again held up the story book, Elsa using her free hand to point out where they were on the page so Anna could follow along.

Elsa turned her head, pressing a soft kiss to Anna's cheek. "Okay, _now_ we're ready."

The redhead laughed, following along as Elsa's voice drifted over them, chiming in with funny voices when certain characters spoke, and trying her hardest not to laugh too much and upset Executus, who seemed quite content to just drift off on her chest.

When the story finished, it was time for bed, though Krystal tried her hardest to argue for just one more story. Elsa tucked Idelia and Eva in while Anna took care of Krystal and Executus, both of them making a final tour of their children's rooms to kiss them goodnight.

As they walked, hand in hand, towards their own bedroom, Anna stole a quick kiss from her wife.

"You had a pretty long day, didn't you, Sunshine?"

"Ugh, don't get me started- you know how it is. I like that making everything digital is super efficient, but I hate how it becomes impossible to get anything done once the network goes down." The redhead sighed, shaking her head. "My head is killing me from listening to the IT department explain what went wrong. I swear, it's like they were speaking a completely different language and I'm maxed out on learning new ones!"

Elsa laughed, pulling Anna into their bedroom and sliding her hands around the other woman's hips, a familiar smile on her lips. "I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose you're too tired for... a little fun, hmmm?"

"Well, when you put it _that_ way." Anna leaned in for a kiss, blindly guiding them back towards the bed. "Have I mentioned how much I love you lately?"

"Why waste time with words?" The blonde lightly teased, dropping her voice to a low, sultry tone. "Why don't you _show_ me?"

Once more, the redhead was in absolute awe of her wife, a delicious shiver running through her body as Elsa pressed against her. Four kids and over ten years hadn't put even the smallest damper on the effect Elsa had over her, much to their mutual delight. "Your wish is my command, Snowflake."

* * *

After, as they lay together and caught their breath, something occurred to the redhead. "Hey, you got your prescription refilled last week, right?"

Executus caught them by surprise mostly because Elsa's birth control prescription had run out while she was touring the newest stores for a month and neither thought to get it refilled while they were enjoying their reunion.

"Yes," Elsa replied, the barest hint of displeasure marring her tone.

Anna frowned, turning onto her side. "What's wrong, Snowflake?"

"Nothing's wrong." That reply was a bit too quick for the redhead's liking.

" _Are you sure? Talk to me_ ," she said in Norwegian, shuffling closer and pressing soft kisses along her wife's shoulder and collarbone.

Elsa sighed, accepting the affections silently before she started to reciprocate. "I'm just tired."

"Yeah, that's not gonna work." Anna smiled. " _You're not getting rid of me that easily_."

Finally, the blonde relented, claiming a quick kiss before speaking. "I was just thinking... maybe we could try one more time?" Anna raised a brow. "I know it sounds silly but... well, we really weren't expecting a son, but Executus..." Elsa sighed "I want him to have a brother."

"You know the chances of that-"

"Are low, yes..." Her wife's mouth moved though words didn't come.

But Anna understood. Maybe all of her father's gentle teasing had a play in it but Elsa genuinely loved each of their children. They'd originally planned to stop after three, concerned that their busy schedules would make spending time with their kids difficult. After Elsa became pregnant with Executus, they justified it by saying that they were their parents' only children anyway and four kids wasn't entirely ridiculous; they would do whatever it took to make it work and they had, so far. In fact, this was going to be Anna's last year working; although she somewhat enjoyed all the stress and joys associated with holding a fulltime job, they both agreed one of them needed to stay home with the kids.

"What if we try for one more and get a daughter?"

Elsa was quiet for a moment. "I think I've only got one more left in me. Five children... I think that's pushing the limits of our sanity."

The redhead smiled, pressing another kiss just behind the blonde's ear. "Okay. We'll try one more time. After the baby's born, I'll schedule a vasectomy appointment."

Her wife jerked up, blinking in surprise. "Anna..."

"It's the smart decision, Snowflake, and it won't change anything for me." She sat up, wrapping her arms around the blonde. "I have four wonderful, amazing kids- maybe five soon!" She shrugged one shoulder. "I was actually going to talk to you about it anyway, so if you want another one, that's a decision we have to make first."

"Sunshine... you're so young-"

"Yeah, and I already have _so much_ to be grateful for, and if..." She swallowed thickly, finding the words difficult to voice. " _If_ something were to happen..." Okay, no, she wasn't going to do this. "No, Elsa, I'm not going to go off and... just... no." She leaned forward and kissed her wife, slow and sweet, pushing back the horrible thoughts. "I love our children and you and I'm okay with this. I did all the research. It's a simple and safe procedure. Then, no more surprises."

Elsa slid into her lap, straddling her hips as they continued kissing. "Are you sure, Sunshine?"

"About the vasectomy or trying for another baby?" She flashed a cheeky smile. "I'm sure." She ran her hands up and down her wife's side soothingly. "If you want to try for another baby, then we'll try. I'm _definitely_ not complaining about trying." Elsa lightly smacked her shoulder as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "As for the operation... I think you're right; five's the limit. And if we don't do something to cut ourselves off, we might never stop!"

Elsa chuckled. "Come on; I do have _some_ self restraint."

"Not when it comes to me." Anna grinned, receiving a kiss for her light teasing that was quickly becoming heated. "Ready again?"

"What can I say? I think you're onto something." Elsa smirked. "I can't resist you."

The redhead found that logic hard to argue with and the night was young, a light rain falling outside as a storm rolled in. She could definitely go another round. Or two.

* * *

The storm arrived an hour after they fell asleep, rain hitting the windows as thunder and lightning boomed and flashed. Typically, Anna would sleep straight through even a storm as violent as this one.

Her children, on the other hand, were definitely light sleepers.

"Momma? Mommy?" A tiny voice called out, barely audible over the crash of thunder.

The redhead, however, heard it loud and clear, jerking awake alongside Elsa. "Sandwi- wait, what?" She blinked, trying to orient herself quickly as her gaze fell on her terrified five year old. "Krys? What are you doing out of bed, Fireball?"

"I'm scared." The little girl glanced worriedly at the window. "Can I sleep with you and Mommy?"

"Of course, Krys," Elsa immediately replied, sitting up slightly before Anna's arm across her chest impeded her progress. "Oh, right."

"Tell you what, Fireball, you can sleep with us but, uh, you need to turn around and close your eyes first." Anna looked around the room, using the illumination from a lightning flash to locate her clothing and realizing that she had completely forgone any sort of sleepwear, which meant a trip to the dresser. "Just trust Momma, okay?"

Krystal nodded, turning around and covering her eyes. Anna and Elsa immediately got out of bed and grabbed clothes, throwing them on hurriedly. The redhead was pretty sure her shirt was on backwards but that really wasn't her concern. Another crash of thunder prompted her little girl to squeak in fear, and Anna was at her side- and decent- almost immediately.

"It's okay, Krys, Momma's right here." She smiled, continuing to distract her second eldest daughter as her wife pulled a new blanket from the closet. "The storm woke you up, huh?"

"Uh huh."

"It is pretty bad outside." Elsa winked as she knelt beside their little girl and Anna sighed in relief. That would've been hard to explain.

"M-mommy?" The redhead turned, smiling softly as their youngest daughter inched through the doorway, clutching a teddy bear.

"Come here, Mudslide." Anna beckoned, rolling her eyes at Elsa's barely restrained snort regarding Eva's nickname. Suffice it to say, diaper changes was never quite as harrowing until Eva came along. "Mommy's going to help you into bed while I go get your brother and sister, okay?"

Anna went to grab her other children while Elsa herded the two middle kids into their king size bed, occurrences like this prompting them to upgrade after Eva was born. Ingvar and Idunn didn't exactly approve of the practice but Elsa and Anna were adamant about showing their children that being afraid was okay and that they could always find support in their parents and siblings. Only time would tell if there was any merit to the practice.

She stopped by Idelia's room first, opening the door slowly to find her eldest daughter sitting by the window and watching the storm outside.

"Momma, why are they scared of the rain?" Idelia frowned, glancing back at her momentarily before returning her attention to the rain and lightning. "It's so pretty outside."

"I don't know, Raindrop. Everyone's scared of something." She walked over to the window. "You can stay in here, if you'd prefer-"

"No, I'll go," Idelia said quickly, stepping away from the window. "It's not bad that they're afraid. I just... don't understand it."

"That's pretty much how fear works, sweetheart. If you're not the one afraid, it doesn't always make sense. I mean, you're scared of daddy long legs-"

"That was one time, I thought it was a spider, and spiders are a legitimate fear because some of them are poisonous, Momma." Her daughter quickly countered and Anna had to bite back a chuckle. The older she got, the more Idelia took after Elsa. She certainly didn't hear about many seven year olds using the word 'legitimate' correctly. Or at all. She was about to correct her daughter about spiders being poisonous when Idelia turned those impossibly blue eyes upon her, only a shade or two darker than her mother's. "What are _you_ afraid of, Momma?"

Anna tilted her head slightly, her mind still a bit foggy from waking up. She briefly considered brushing the question off but decided against it. Kneeling down so she was on eye level with her daughter, the redhead smiled.

"Raindrop, fear changes as you grow. Things that used to scare you lose their power and you learn to be afraid of new things. When I was younger, I was scared of never finding love. I tried to make a lot of relationships work when they wouldn't, and my fear changed. Then, I started fearing _falling_ in love, trusting someone with my heart, letting someone close to me, and being honest with them." Idelia's eyes grew wide. "Then I met your Mommy and she gave me the strength to not be afraid anymore. I love her and you and your sisters and brother with all my heart because of that."

"So... you're not afraid of anything anymore?"

"Oh, I'm still afraid. Just of something different." She took her daughter's hands in hers. "Now, I'm afraid every day of something happening to any of you or of doing something that might mean I lose your love-"

"No!" Idelia surged forward, nearly knocking Anna over as she threw her arms around the redhead's neck. "Momma, we'll always love you!"

"Shush, Raindrop, I didn't mean to upset you." Anna quietly laughed, hugging her little girl. "But, it's the truth; that's what I'm scared of now, on top of losing one of you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening, to keep all of you safe and happy." She pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head as she stood up. "Mommy, Krys, and Eva are waiting. I'll grab your brother and be there soon, okay?"

"Yes, Momma."

Anna followed her eldest daughter out of the room, heading down the hall and opening the door slowly. Much to her amusement, Executus was completely oblivious to the storm, sprawled out on his bed and drooling. If Idelia took after Elsa, Executus _definitely_ took most of his plays from Anna's book.

Scooping her sleeping son into her arms with minimal protest, Anna carefully made her way back to the master bedroom to find the rest of her family already situated on the bed, for the most part. Idelia was on the far side, her younger sisters on Elsa's left. Anna slipped into her spot to Krystal's left, Executus still on her chest and squirming only a little bit as Anna settled in for bed.

Another crash of thunder and flash of lightning had Krystal grabbing onto her shirt. "It's okay, Fireball. We're okay. We're all together and we'll keep each other safe, promise."

"Tomorrow's a school day." Elsa noted, her tone soft and loving as she rubbed Eva's back. "We should get some rest."

They took turns wishing each other good night, until Idelia added in a soft voice. "I love you, Momma and Mommy. And Krys and Eva and Xec too."

Anna smiled, and they took another round to say they loved each other before the girls finally fell quiet and started drifting off to sleep despite the continuing storm.

"Hey." Elsa's soft voice pulled Anna back from the brink of sleep, lightning briefly illuminating her face. "Are you still sure about adding one more, Sunshine?"

She reached out, taking Elsa's hand and squeezing it. "Absolutely." She glanced at their children. "But let's keep it a secret for now. Good night, Snowflake. I love you."

" _I love you too, my eternal Sunshine_."

They fell asleep after that, surrounded by the warmth of their family. Although it was sometimes uncomfortable- Krystal had a habit of moving around in her sleep and there was a damp spot growing on her shirt from Executus- Anna secretly loved it.

* * *

About five months later, after receiving confirmation from Elsa's physician, the couple broke the news to their entire family. While some were more surprised than others, everyone congratulated them as their children took turns coming up with names for their incoming brother or sister.

Two months later, they had to call the family together again to correct their previous announcement: they weren't having one more baby.

They were having _two_.

"This is what we get for saying 'five's the limit' you know," Anna said with a smirk as their respective parents began adamantly chatting about the news, Ingvar and Cliff reviving their debate over the Aren naming tradition.

Elsa puffed out a laugh, trying hard not to let her irritation show. This pregnancy was, quite obviously, more trying than any of the previous ones and the blonde was struggling to cope with the additional demands of her body. "Did you schedule your appointment?"

"Yup, next Thursday." She forced a smile. Despite it being _her_ idea, Anna was more than a little nervous about the vasectomy operation. Not the results, per say; she just didn't like the idea of sharp implements by her... sensitive areas.

She was a little surprised when Elsa gently took her hand. "I'll clear my schedule. I... want to be there for you."

Her smile turned genuine, nodding her agreement. Though this time was going to be more difficult that the others, it wasn't going to break them.

Not even close.

* * *

Author's Note: The song Anna heard on the radio was a country song called _What a Beautiful Day_ by Chris Cagle. If you've never heard it, it's basically the singer listing the days events have occurred, starting with Day 1 as when he met his future wife. And if you're wondering why I didn't write any of Elsa's pregnancy, it's because I'm a **huge** fan of _With You_ by Freudianslip13 (which I... can't seem to find anymore?), _When The Spring Comes_ by Fruipit, and _One Plus One (Equals Three)_ by Kerosene and Fire. There was no chance of me writing a better pregnant Elsa than those three. (Granted, totally different circumstances and the like, but I barely understand what goes into a wedding, _how am I supposed to do pregnancy?_ I literally went to a wedding for help on writing the scene. Did you people want to wait another nine months?) Anyway, if you want to see Elsa being pregnant and Anna being supportive (and, ya know, drama... lots of drama that's _oh_ so worth it) go read those fics because they are excellent.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer** : Still don't own anything. A look (relatively) far into the future of our favorite redhead.

* * *

Fifteen years later, Anna was sitting in the living room of their American home, reading the paper and smiling. The front page story was about the ongoing charitable efforts of several high profile companies in response to a crisis in Asia a month prior, featuring pictures of relief workers side-by-side some of the wealthiest people in the world as the young CEOs-in-training pitched in to help. Idelia and Krystal had volunteered to personally oversee the distribution of IKEA's furniture donations, along with Merida and Kristoff's youngest son and daughter, who were officially monitoring for waste and abuse of donated monetary funds while unofficially getting down in the trenches with the rest of the workers. Marshall's eldest was there too, beside his cousin as the Frossen boys moved sandbags and helped set up generators and other electrical equipment.

It made her swell with pride, a sense of accomplishment filling her. Despite being some of the most privileged individuals in the world, her children and their friends hadn't let that fame and wealth go to their heads, becoming as kindhearted as their mother. Elsa would argue that it was a trait picked up from both of them, seeing as the blonde still didn't offer forgiveness as readily as the redhead, but it was a silly argument anyway. They had six wonderful, _amazing_ kids and that was all that truly mattered.

In the years since the twins' birth, Anna had scaled back her involvement in her wife's company, only filling in for the blonde while she was on maternity leave and whenever Elsa felt she needed to spend more time with their children. It was difficult at times to keep the balance between work and family, but the extra effort they put in truly paid off.

IKEA as a whole had grown from a mostly global company to a completely global one, with more than one store in every recognized country in the world- and even a few 'unrecognized' ones. But the company's success paled in comparison to her children's triumphs and struggles.

Idelia, who had grown up to be an almost mirror image of Elsa, was less than a year away from officially taking over the company and had spent the past two years shadowing her mother at the IKEA headquarters. It meant long stretches of time where Anna hadn't seen her wife or eldest daughter but weekly Skype calls had lessened the pain, slightly. Soon, Elsa would return to their American home for good, seeing as Idelia wanted to remain in The Netherlands for at least the first two years before contemplating a relocation to one of the regional offices as her mother had.

Krystal, on the other hand, was Anna's duplicate, though far more confident in herself than her mom ever was for obvious reasons. Brash, stubborn, and very empathetic, their middle daughter had taken full advantage of her place in the spotlight to become an advocate for the causes she truly believed in. The younger redhead had apparently taken it to heart when Anna and Elsa told the full story of how they met and fell in love, including the now distant incidents with Hans and Vanessa. She worked with charities and volunteer groups around the world to fight against discrimination and hate groups, using whatever connections were available to her in order to secure help for those who needed it. It was her idea to bring in the extended family on the relief efforts, after all, and though she enjoyed assisting her elder sister with things related to the family business, she never held the passion for the corporate world that Idelia inherited from Elsa and Elsa from Ingvar. She was a humanitarian, through and through.

Eva, of course, found her own way, independent from her elder sisters yet still supportive of them. While they were heavily involved in the large scale- global economy and human rights- their youngest sister opted for a local path, currently studying to become a lawyer at Harvard. As she'd told her mothers several times, her intent was to become a city prosecutor and remain in the local area for the rest of her life, except for the odd vacation to visit her sisters. Eva, it seemed, was quite content to remain home and have no part in the family business, though she did seem unusually interested in trade laws for a lawyer looking to practice in the criminal courts.

With her daughters and wife away, Anna was at home with their three sons, which was just as horrifying as Merida had warned her it would be. It wasn't _all_ bad but the types of mischief their sons got up to was worlds different from the types their daughters did.

Executus, being the eldest of their sons, had just finished high school and was taking a year off from his studies to tinker with cars, taking a low profile job at a local autoshop to get some experience. Ever since he was old enough, Executus was absolutely fascinated with the story of how IKEA was founded, though he didn't find the products nearly as impressive. Instead, he wanted to craft machines that would be inexpensive to buy and maintain but still hold the appeal of traditional American Muscle cars. This unfortunately led to more than a few fires starting in the detached garage they'd converted into a workshop for him as a sweet sixteen present, the most recent including a small explosion.

At this point, Anna was on first name basis with the firefighters and police who regularly responded and kept a relatively large stock of coffee, creamer, water, and snack foods for whenever they were called out to the Aren estate. She'd taken to keeping marshmallows and graham crackers too, seeing as she always had chocolate and sometimes there was nothing better to do than make s'mores while waiting for the firetrucks to arrive.

Elsa was not nearly as amused by Anna's acceptance of the facts as the fire chief was.

The twins, of course, were still in school, which was why Anna was sitting in the living room reading as opposed to worrying about dinner. Executus was working late and the twins had a school sponsored Halloween party to attend, which meant the redhead was going to be alone for the evening.

"Hey, Momma, have you seen that big stick I brought in the other day?"

The redhead looked up, smiling as Jack stepped into the room. Unlike their four older siblings, the twins had unique initials, per their elder siblings' request. Apparently, their children found it highly unfair that they all had the same initials as their mother but Anna didn't, so it was decided that the youngest and final additions to the family would have unique initials like Anna, so she wouldn't feel left out. Thus, the fraternal twins were named Jack and Daniel Aren.

To this day, neither woman admitted why they chose to name their two youngest sons after that particular brand of alcohol.

"It's leaning against the fireplace, Jackie." Setting her paper aside, Anna got up and stretched, popping her back a few times. She was aware that Daniel's date had offered the boys a ride to the party; she wasn't exactly privy to their choice of costumes, however. With a small grin and a chuckle, she was forced to ask. "Okay, I give. Who are you supposed to be?"

"Jack Frost, of course!" The frosted blonde struck a pose, holding the stick aloft. "I'm the spirit of joy, here to spread seasonal cheer!"

"You... do realize that's the wrong holiday, right?" Anna smirked, laughing slightly as he rolled his eyes.

"Joy doesn't have to be strictly related with Christmas, you know; the prevalence of pumpkin spiced everything _proves_ that cooler weather is just plain awesome." Aside from the light hair and impossibly blue eyes, Jack had also inherited his mother's love for the cold. Pretty much everything else, though, was Anna, or so Elsa claimed. "Besides, if no one buys that line, I could always be an old timey hobo. All I'd need is a handkerchief, which I'm sure Danny will bring in spades."

Taking in the practically threadbare sweater and torn pants sans shoes, Anna raised a brow.

"Or you could pretend you're a crackhead." The redhead shook her head, running a hand over her face the moment the words left her mouth, a lingering side effect of spending a few days last week over at Eugene and Rapunzel's house, excitedly cooing over their first grandchild. She'd been living with just the boys for a bit too long; knowing Jack-

"Please, Momma, it's a Halloween party, not Career Day." Yup, that's exactly what she was expecting him to say. "Besides, you know I already sent in my audition for Play Girl magazine."

"Jackie, you're fourteen."

"Fourteen and a half." He corrected, a smirk on his face.

"And grounded for exactly that long if you keep it up." Anna smiled as he threw his hands up in the air in surrender. Granted, he was only joking, and he really had a good heart, but sometimes she truly worried about some of the comments he made. Unlike all his siblings, Jack hadn't indicated having any sort of plan for after high school. Sure, that was still three years off, but it was a tad odd considering everyone else- even his twin- had made some sort of decision before even reaching their freshman year. "Where's your brother?"

"Present!"

Anna turned, watching her other son enter the room wearing a ridiculously over-sized coat. While Daniel was definitely the lesser practical joker between the three boys, his pranks were typically rather elaborate. The redhead felt she couldn't quite leave it up to chance. "I swear to all things holy, Danny, if you're going as a flasher-"

"No, Momma, no." Daniel laughed, scratching at his head; for some odd reason, he was wearing his old ski cap with the sewn in ear muffs. "This isn't my costume." She raised a brow, crossed her arms over her chest as her son seemingly struggled to explain his attire. "You see, uh... um... well..."

Anna waited patiently, glancing at Jack. The boy seemed just as nervous as his brother, which sent even more warning flags off in her mind. She'd noticed Daniel was acting a bit odd for the past few months but had accounted for the behavior; he was dating one of his classmates and had yet to introduce her to Anna, always having some sort of excuse for why she couldn't come over. Given her own dating history and Elsa's, the redhead found it hard to fault her son for that hesitance even if they were painfully clear they wouldn't be upset no matter who their children brought home- so long as they weren't rude or abusive. So, she'd opted to wait patiently despite Elsa's concerns. Apparently, it was Daniel's girlfriend who was providing the ride tonight, so she assumed this would put an end to the matter.

Was he concerned about that or was it something else entirely?

Gathering up his courage, Daniel took a deep breath and spoke, his voice even. "Momma, tonight, my girlfriend and her father are coming to pick up Jackie and I. So you two could meet. Or rather, so all four of us could meet, and get that out of the way." He set his jaw, resolution tempering his nerves. Oh boy. He might have hair and eyes just like Anna's but that expression was _all_ Elsa. "No matter what, we still want to be together, even if you two don't approve."

It took sincere effort on Anna's part not to laugh; she had a sneaking suspicion Elsa would've said much the same to her parents had she not tried so very hard to keep the blonde calm during that first trip to The Netherlands. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"And I'm not asking for you to like her father." Daniel continued, capturing Anna's attention once more before it could escape down memory lane. "I'm just asking that you don't bear a grudge against _her_."

Both of Anna's brows raised in surprise. Okay, she originally thought that this was maybe some sort of melodramatic, teenage angst thing, but now she was really concerned. Just what on Earth was Daniel talking about?

Before she could ask, though, the doorbell rang, and Anna went to answer it, seeing as neither of her sons were inclined to move for some reason.

When she opened the door, however, everything clicked into place rather quickly.

As she'd expected, there was a girl a little shorter than Daniel standing on the other side of the door, bundled up just like him. Behind her stood a man she hadn't seen in over thirty years. Maybe her memory was playing tricks on her but there was something about the way he carried himself that she instantly recognized, especially after keeping in contact with all twelve of his brothers over the years.

"Hans?" Anna blinked, slightly dumbfounded. Given the matching look of shock adorning the man's face, the redhead guessed her memory was spot on and she wasn't the only one caught off guard. Distracted as she was, she hardly noticed the girl slipping past her and into the house. When her brain finally kicked back into gear, she asked the only question that came to mind. "How have you been?"

His mouth worked for a moment with no sound coming forth and Anna took the opportunity to take in his appearance. He looked well off, all things considered; there was a touch of grey starting at his temples and he'd shaved off his sideburns but, aside from a few lines creasing his brow and around his jaw, he was essentially the same as when they parted ways. She half expected there to be a bruise on his cheek.

For her part, Anna had aged rather gracefully as well, or so Elsa assured. Sure, she had laugh lines that were becoming more prominent with the passing years and a random white streak that she'd never bothered dyeing by her right temple, but most could hardly believe she'd been married almost thirty years. Sometimes, she could hardly believe how much time had passed.

"Darling." Hans directed his gaze over Anna's shoulder, presumably addressing his daughter. "I'm going to have a word with Mrs. Aren before we leave, if that's alright with her." His gaze shifted to the redhead and she nodded quickly, noting the distinct lack of disgust in his tone. She could hardly remember a time when he'd spoken to her without marring his voice with some less than favorable emotion. "We won't be long."

"O-okay, Dad." Anna could hear the slight concern in the girl's voice but stepped outside regardless, shutting the door behind her.

They stood there a few seconds, just looking at each other, waiting. In the end, it was Hans who broke the silence.

"I'm not sorry for how things went."

"Excuse me?" Anna raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. She half expected the Hans she remembered to appear, his face twisting into a sneer.

Instead, he repeated himself, face smooth and serious, a glint in his eyes she'd seen half a hundred times before, in the eyes of his brothers and father that meant he was being sincere. "I'm not sorry for the way things went between us or how we ended up. I do, however, apologize for the pain I caused you." His shoulders subtly dropped, as though he was finally letting go of a weight he'd carried for far too long. "Had I been a better man back then, maybe things between us wouldn't have soured. Had I been a better _person_ , maybe the lessons wouldn't have been so harsh to learn. There may have been an easier way to reach where I am right now but, for the sake of my children, I'm grateful for how it all played out. The fallout of my actions changed me in a lot of ways; it taught me humility and compassion, it set me on a path to seek my own redemption." His gaze dropped to the wooden deck a moment before lifting again. "For all the misery I inflicted on you because of my own stupid pride, I'm sorry, Anna. But I would also like to thank you for teaching me how to be a better man. I've thought half a hundred times about seeking you out to say all of this to your face... but I didn't think it would be welcomed. I've owed you an apology for thirty years, Anna, and I can't make up for waiting this long. For that as well, I'm sorry."

Subconsciously, Anna reached up, fingers brushing against the snowflake necklace she still wore after all these years. Some part of her instantly wanted to reject his apology and kick him off her property, maybe even call the police and have him escorted away on principle alone... but the overwhelming majority remembered that, for all the hardships he'd caused her, many of them were catalysts to the events that brought her to this moment in the first place.

"I accept your apology, Hans, you're welcome... and thank you." She smiled, noting the genuine shock in his expression. "Believe it or not, you aren't the only one who learned something. What we had, our relationship... it was a toxic thing, from beginning to end and even after, but it was the type of toxin that the body and soul can resist and eventually overcome. The heart, too. And it made us both stronger and better people because of it." Placing her hands on her hips, Anna cocked her head to the side. "But if your daughter is as good at hurling insults as you were, I might have a problem. I'm very protective of my boys."

Clearly surprising himself, Hans barked out a laugh. "In that case, if your son is half as good at throwing punches as you were, I think we're both in hot water!"

Chuckling, Anna nodded, turning to put her hand on the doorknob. "I'd really like to catch up with you Hans, but I believe our kids are supposed to be on the way to a party. I wouldn't want to make them late."

"Absolutely; there's much to discuss, but another time." He gave her a soft smile, the same smile she remembered from the first time they met. "Please, give my regards to Elsa. And, uh, put in a good word for me while you're at it?"

"Of course, but no promises." She laughed, preparing to open the door. Thinking better of it- and holding up a finger to stop Hans from questioning her- she wound up and pounded the door with her fist, satisfied when she heard a distinct yelp on the other side. "What have I said about eavesdropping, nosy?"

"And what have _I_ said about talking loud enough so I don't have to eavesdrop, Secret Squirrel!" Jack called back through the door, clearly agitated.

Hans gave her that shrug that said 'what can you do?' before smothering a chuckle behind his hand.

Entering her home once more, Anna noticed one of her sons rubbing the side of his head and playfully glowering at her. The other, of course, was heaving a not-so-discreet sigh of relief. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Almost." Daniel gave his girlfriend a nudge and pulled off his ski cap, discarding the jacket soon after, the young woman doing the same.

Hans and Anna got their _second_ shock of the evening as they stared at their respective spawn, feeling a little like they were standing in front of those carnival trick mirrors.

"That's... that's the dress I wore for the prom my sophomore year," Anna said, her voice full of wonder as she looked at Hans' daughter, looking almost exactly like she did once upon a time. To be specific, it was the last dress she wore before meeting Elsa; she was certain the garment was thrown out by her mother ages ago. Even the hair style was the same- an elaborate bun of red locks, though the color tended towards Hans' shade than her own.

"I wore that suit to the Spring Formal." Hans seemed equally awestruck; Daniel had even managed to style his hair into sideburns.

Anna had wondered why he was letting his hair get so shaggy.

Standing side-by-side, Daniel and his girlfriend looked like a younger version of the other's parent. Sure, there were little things- the girlfriend lacked Anna's freckles and filled the dress out a little better than she ever did- but the resemblance was uncanny. Almost to the point where Anna was questioning her own sanity; she hadn't even _known_ Hans when they were in high school!

It was more than a little weird but... oddly heartwarming too?

Mostly weird, though.

Walking over to her former seat, Anna grabbed her phone and took a picture of the couple, a devious grin on her face.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Momma, what are you plotting?"

"Oh, nothing, just preparing to give your mother a heart attack, that's all," she replied, stowing her phone away for later. The moment she sent the picture, there would be a call swiftly following, and that conversation was something she'd like to enjoy thoroughly. Elsa still had a bit of a jealous and possessive streak, from time to time, even after all these years. "Anyway, you three have a party, and I think we've delayed you long enough." She hugged her sons, giving them each a kiss on the cheek. "You boys behave. If you need anything, call me, okay?"

Suffering her doting a while longer, Jack and Daniel agreed and told her they loved her before heading for the door, Daniel's girlfriend following close behind.

"Oh, wait, I never caught your name." Anna smiled apologetically as Hans' daughter turned, only slightly confused.

Then she smiled wide. "I'm Anna, Mrs. Aren. Anna Westergard."

The elder Anna flicked her gaze over to Hans- who was wearing a fond smile as he watched his daughter- before she chuckled. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I hope you are able to come visit soon."

As soon as the door was closed, Anna returned to her seat and pondered over everything that had just transpired. Eventually, she laughed, pulling out her phone and sending the picture to Elsa. Something like this, she _needed_ to tell someone, and there's likely no one who would get a bigger kick out of the ordeal than her wife. Kristoff was a close second, though.

No more than thirty seconds after the picture was sent did her phone start to ring, the familiar strains of _What's This?_ briefly echoing through the room.

"What in the world did I just see?" Elsa's voice was thick from sleep, a detectable level of irritation in her tone. "From what _I_ recall, you're way too young in that picture to have known Hans."

Yup, she was jealous.

"That wasn't me in the picture. Or Hans." She was smiling, enjoying herself a bit too much.

"Oh? Then who was it?"

"Danny and his girlfriend."

A few moments of silence followed.

"I'm confused." The rustle of fabric and the distant click of a light coming on. "What?"

"I told you Danny's been acting funny, because he had a secret girlfriend. I just met her. Turns out, they decided to go as each other's parent for the Halloween party, so she dressed up like me."

A little more silence.

"She's Hans' daughter?" Anna did a little victory dance in her seat at the mixture of awe, confusion, and certainty with which those words were said. Sometimes, she was downright evil to her beloved wife. "What's her name?"

"Anna Westergard."

"You're joking."

"Come on, I can't make this up!" The redhead waited, allowing her eyes to close and picturing the adorable look of complete confusion on Elsa's face. "Weird, huh?"

"Weird doesn't even begin to cover it." Her wife muttered, sighing slightly. In her mind's eye, she could see the concern flashing and spoke before Elsa had a chance to voice it.

"Hans was very cordial. He basically apologized for the hell he put me through... but not for how everything ended up and I can't blame him for that." She smiled. "Just like him, I wouldn't change a thing, not if it meant losing even the tiniest bit of the life I have now. I love you, Snowflake."

"I love you too, Sunshine." There it was, that tone that meant Elsa was smiling as wide as she could, skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes.

"I'll let you go back to bed, love."

"Wait." Elsa begged, more shifting of sheets following her plea. "If Jackie and Danny are out, what are you doing for the evening? Is Xec home?"

"The Tornado decided to work late at the shop." Anna settled back in her chair, reaching for the remote. "Honestly, I was just going to watch this old, obscure movie, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it."

"Oh? Which one?"

"It's called _The Nightmare Before Christmas_." The redhead smirked.

"Wow, you know, that _is_ really obscure, but I just so happen to have a copy handy myself." They were both laying on the sarcasm thick.

"Well in that case, how about I run upstairs, grab my laptop, and then we can Skype while we watch it together? I'd hate to see it for the first time without you."

Elsa laughed. "Okay, let's be honest here; your laptop is right next to you, isn't it? You were going to use the five minutes to make popcorn, weren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." She admitted, reaching over to boot up her laptop. "So is that a yes?"

Almost instantly, the call disconnected and Anna turned her attention to logging onto her Skype account. Once it completed, she had an incoming call from Elsa. The redhead felt her heart melt all over again as the webcam activated, displaying her beautiful wife dressed in her pajamas, smiling just for her.

An ocean may separate them but they were never far, their love binding them closer than any physical means ever could. As they'd done many, many times, both women started the movie and set their laptops beside them, so a glance was all they'd need to see the one who held their heart. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't ideal, but they did whatever worked and that's what counted.

* * *

As the night wore on, Executus came home with some Chinese takeout and curled up on the couch as Anna and Elsa started another movie, Eva logging on somewhere a quarter way through and joining the chat. By the third movie, Jack and Daniel had returned home from the Halloween party and joined their eldest brother on the couch, snagging what remained of the egg rolls. As the time edged towards sunrise in The Netherlands, Idelia and Krystal managed to join them for the last movie, which happened to be a family favorite.

 _Complacency of the Learned: Book Three: Part One_.

* * *

Author's Note: And so, it ends. Now, there was a _lot_ I could've covered in this fic that was left out, but I think I've hit the points that matter the most for these two. The next few paragraphs are just about the process and explanation; if you're not interested in my loquacious ramblings, just go to the end of the page for the TL;DR.

Please understand, when I originally wrote _Scheherazade_ , it was just a fun one shot that was almost entirely born out of my medicine addled brain thinking that 'Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren' would be absolutely hilarious and the Liar's Reveal being a trope I have a prolonged love/hate relationship with. The rest? No fucking clue. It's pure coincidence that the series parallels the story from which it takes its name by following a person who was romantically betrayed and had a bleak outlook on romance until falling in love with a storyteller; I honestly picked Scheherazade as Elsa's topic of conversation in the coffee shop because it's my favorite lyric in _Friends Like Me_ from _Aladdin_. I am being dead fuckin' serious. I can't make this shit up, guys. I'm not smart; just lucky. Not claiming any credit on any of this.

Anyway, I obviously ended up continuing the universe; while writing _Sultan,_ I realized I needed to write _The Kingdom_ , and while writing _The Kingdom_ , realized I needed to go beyond that as well. Each of the original sequels had- what I felt- to be a specific theme to them so I wanted to make that separation. When trying to figure what should and should not be included in _this_ , however, I had to look at the series as a whole, and what each fic represented to Anna and Elsa. While the first installment focused on both of them learning about the other and overcoming their personal reservations in order to be honest with each other, the second installment was focused on that honesty and introducing the next mutual hurdle- physical intimacy- which would require longer to come to terms with, so the third installment instead focused on how these two learned to function as a couple and integrate their worlds together, again deepening their emotional connection. Obviously, the physical connection was something that needed to be addressed, so that was obviously one of the focal points of OTaO. However, the entire series has really been about these two getting on the same damn page with each other by improving their communication and supporting each other while overcoming personal issues. Which... was honestly the hardest part of writing this fic (aside from the awkward smut scenes) because, after Anna was clued in and did her proposal at the park, I really didn't have much desire to write any further. At that point, Anna and Elsa had overcome their longest lasting issues- honesty, physical intimacy, trust- and were finally communicating so they understood what they both wanted, deeply cared about each other, functioned relatively well as a couple, and were essentially already married in all but name. Sure, real life is filled with repetitive obstacles, constant stress, and the like, but I'd already covered most of the bases by that point, so it would just be rehashing things and I feared getting _too_ repetitive would just drag things out. The only appealing options left were Real Life Horror (which I ended up writing) and a parent dying unexpectedly. Granted, could've definitely killed off Ingvar and shoved Elsa into the CEO position before she was ready and followed that angsty drama bomb's destructive path... but, aside from pushing the timeline back and a bunch of angst, I didn't think it would really add much to the characters. Every challenge, every angsty bit of life throwing these two a bad hand, served a purpose: to grow Anna and Elsa as characters and/or to further their relationship. However, after achieving that open communication, honesty, and deep trust, there was very little I could see breaking them, especially since they've entered the relationship recognizing the unique distance challenges they'll face as a result of Elsa's position. There's a reason I write tooth rotting fluff, guys; it's because I actually really hate dealing with real life sometimes and all the bad shit that comes with it. Now, I _did_ use angst (what I would like to think) sparingly, like with Vanessa and Hans, but each instance served a purpose beyond just putting these two through the ringer. Only through challenges, obstacles, and adversity do we learn how to persevere. In regards to Vanessa and Hans, though, I'm not saying forgiveness is always the key (you'll notice Anna doesn't forgive Hans, but does forgive Vanessa) or that assholes have a right to be assholes; I'm just aware that, sometimes, life deals us a shit hand. Anna got a pretty shit hand initially because she dealt with a lot of assholes before finding Elsa; once they'd reached the point where Anna had achieved what she perceived to be impossible at the onset of the series, going further almost felt like pointlessly dragging it out _just_ to deal Anna more shit to overcome. I wanted to give her a break on that front. I think she's earned it.

I do have everything worked out in my head- how Elsa maintained control of the company, how long they spent in America and the Netherlands, about a zillion little stories involving the newest generation of Arens ranging from being hilariously inept at rebellious behavior (Idelia) to being insufferable, privileged little shits (Krystal, before learning about Hans and the things Anna had to deal with growing up), from specific hair-brained schemes (Eva and Xec, those two are evil geniuses in training, I swear) to general mayhem (the twins, to no one's surprise, and I think Jack's a hipster... not sure how that happened...)- but that didn't fit with the rest of the series to me. Plus, it bugs me when a 'ship fic becomes a next gen fic out of the blue, so I tried to limit the introductions of the kids as much as possible, focusing on Anna's relationship and perception of each of her children as an extension of the dreams she'd let go of before we meet her in _Scheherazade_. I'm not claiming I succeeded at any of this, mind, but it's what I was aiming for and why I made the decisions I did.

Oh! And, if anyone was curious but doesn't want to do the math, the first time Anna and Elsa meet in _Scheherazade_ is the 13th of September, 2014. Although I've been mostly vague with dates for the series, I did have a timeline for every event that's been shown and they are all based on that date. Mainly because, of the Saturdays I had available for their meeting, the 13th is my favorite number. *shrug* I'm petty; so shoot me.

TL;DR: The series followed Anna's journey from being pessimistic and closed off regarding romantic options to becoming engaged to the love of her life. I'm glad y'all have enjoyed this journey and I included the wedding and a look at their kids to round out the universe. I'm not going to jinx myself and say this is the absolute end but I most likely won't be revising the universe anytime soon, less likely from Annas's perspective. (Fun fact: originally, _Sultan_ was going to be written from Elsa's perspective.) So, if you see anything pop up from me like "Appendices" or "Epilogue" or something 'clever' relating to the end portion of a book, it's probably in regards to this universe. Thanks so much for all your support, favs, follows, and reviews. This has been my most productive year to date (like, 11 fics in one year I think) and it's in large part because you people have been so accepting of the insanity I post up. You're all wonderful! Once again, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and thanks for everything!

(I also find it absolutely hilarious that I'll end this fic on Christmas; _Scheherazade_ was meant to be a Christmas fic, but I couldn't get it out in time. Shenanigans, I swear.)


End file.
